Out of all of the blog posts I’ve ever written, today’s post is the most exciting… Charley and I are engaged!!
Tuesday April 2, 2019
THE “PLAN”
A few weeks ago, Charley planned a triple date with two other couples – Josh and Katherine, and Justin and Carly. Apparently Justin had received a gift card from work for dinner at CBD at The Joule, so they thought it would be fun to have a big night out. Since CBD is down the street from The Statler, we planned to meet for drinks on the rooftop at Waterproof before dinner around 6:30. (The only true part about this plan was the rooftop)
Usually my week days in Dallas are pretty routine, but something about this Tuesday was unusual. I woke up without an alarm clock at 5AM and ran 4 miles which started the day on the right foot – note: I hadn’t run in months. My work day was so successful, that I decided to work a half day. I had lunch at Mi Cocina with my favorite bloggers to celebrate Jaclyn’s (@myviewinheels) birthday, then treated myself to a manicure – since I broke a nail the night before. I did a little shopping, took a long bath, and kept texting my family how I was having the “best day ever”. To top it all off, I had ordered a ton of new clothes that arrived that morning, so I avoided the usual “I have nothing to wear” debate. My day was exceptionally awesome, and I was so excited for our night out with friends!
Charley picked me up in an Uber around 6:15, and we headed to The Statler. I thought it was slightly odd we took such a long route, but I assumed it was due to rush hour traffic. As we drove through Lakeside in Highland Park, he pointed to the lake and said “Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll drop the knee over there during a picnic someday. I’ll have our siblings hiding out with a camera to capture the whole thing.” We had talked about engagements a lot, but I had NO idea what was coming next…
THE PROPOSAL
When we got to The Statler, we took the elevator up to the rooftop and walked inside. Waterproof is usually lively with upbeat music, so it was weird we were the only two people there. As we walked inside, I noticed a table against the window with six picture frames, a huge vase of gorgeous flowers, a bouquet of pink roses (my favorite), and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne. At that moment, Charley said, “We are not going on a triple date tonight. I actually have something else planned.” My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, I immediately starting shaking, tears welled up in my eyes, and it felt like time time was standing still. The moment I had always dreamed of was actually happening!!!
He held my hands, told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!! I said yes (!!), pulled him up, hugged and kissed him, and couldn’t stop smiling – and that’s when he slid on the ring! Charley proposing was such a dream come true, that an engagement ring completely slipped my mind!
(Charley is quite the romantic and gave the most amazing speech before proposing, but that’s something I’ll keep between the two of us ;) )
Charley proposed with an heirloom diamond ring that belonged to my grandmother, and my sisters helped him redesign the round solitaire diamond in a gold setting covered in pave diamonds with a pave bezel underneath the solitaire setting. It was so special to know the ring belonged to my grandmother and he let my sisters help redesign it!
When I thought things couldn’t get any better, he said, “You see that curtain over there? All of our friends and family are waiting outside for us to celebrate.”
THE SURPRISE
When we walked outside, I immediately burst into tears once again. I could not believe it!! All of our friends and family were outside! I thought my parents left town the day before, but apparently they were hiding out in Fort Worth all weekend! Two of my best friends from Atlanta and Denver had flown in that morning and were waiting all day to surprise me. His family, my family, all of our friends (and of course – the triple date crew!) were all there to celebrate. It was unbelievable!
Ever since Charley and I started dating, family has been such a huge part of our relationship. We both share the same family values, and we are both extremely close with our families – so having our family (and friends) there meant the absolute world to me!
THE VENUE
Not only was the night beyond perfect, it was the most thoughtful proposal I could’ve ever imagined. Though Charley and I have known each other for years (I’ll share that story another time), we had our official first date last June on the rooftop of The Statler – which is why he chose to propose here. Charley had been planning this proposal for weeks, and he created an elaborate plan for the night to be perfect.
THE FIREWORKS
When I thought the night couldn’t get any more perfect, Charley swept me off my feet one more time and pointed to the Bank of America Plaza building (aka the “green building”). The iconic green skyscraper was no longer green, but instead the entire building was lit up in pink flashing lights as fireworks to celebrate our engagement!! The tallest skyscraper in Dallas was lit up in pink just for us! The proposal, the friends and family, the location, and the skyscraper – I kept having to pinch myself to remind myself this wasn’t a dream!!
THE SCHEMING:
A couple weeks before the proposal (March 14th to be exact), Charley told me he had lunch meetings that week – but in reality, he was at Bock & Co with my sisters designing my engagement ring! Peter designed Blair’s engagement band here, and one of Charley’s best friends referred him – so it was so special to know how much thought went into choosing the designer. It was so special my sisters were there with him during the process. They photographed the entire experience and created the SWEETEST book to remember the day. I was blown away when I saw it!
My mom and stepdad told me they left Dallas on Monday morning, but instead they stayed and had a mini staycation in Fort Worth – because I live near my sisters, so of course I would see their car! They actually texted me updates on traffic and the “road trip” for 11 hours as if they were actually on their way to Florida!
The weekend before the proposal, Paige was my roommate at our friend, Ashley’s, wedding in Oklahoma City. We talked about when we thought Charley would propose, and she said I shouldn’t stress about it – because it would probably happen on our anniversary trip in June. She later told me she was terrified it would slip out that night since we were sipping champagne and celebrating at a wedding all night! I had NO idea.
The week before the proposal, I convinced my mom to help me with a closet purge – and I literally donated 60% of my closet! Because of this, I ordered a ton of new clothes from Revolve that arrived that morning – including these heels and my red blazer dress! The box of clothes arrived at my sister’s house, because I was worried I’d be out of town. Kevin dropped it off at 6AM that morning with a smile, which I thought was such a sweet gesture! Little did I know, Paige was working in their house all day – so if I went by to grab it, I would’ve seen Paige and ruined the whole surprise!
My mom randomly surprised me with a beautiful long sleeve navy dress from Neimans the week before. Looking back, she assumed I’d wear this on Tuesday night! (Instead of a bright red mini blazer dress – whoops!)
It’s crazy looking back and seeing how oblivious I was to everything going on around me, but I was blown away by the surprise! I should’ve noticed how Charley’s texts were a bit (ok, a LOT) more affectionate than usual, how he actually planned his outfit out in advance, kept sending me weather updates for the rooftop happy house, and how he was not rushed at all when I was running late curling my hair – per usual. I have dreamed of my engagement my entire life, but I never would have dreamed it would be this perfect. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and I’m so beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with Charley! I’m so absolutely crazy in love, and I cannot wait to become Mr. and Mrs. Dickenson!
Keep scrolling for more photos from the big day!
