The Big Day

Wow!  Where do I even start?!  It has been so amazing to watch this all unfold.  Having our oldest son Christopher come to Roger and I and tell us that he was ready to ask Emily to marry him and then see him plan and orchestrate all of the details of this special day has been such a blessing.  Seeing his heart for the woman he loves and wanting this day to overwhelm her with happiness and joy has been a sweet gift to this mama's heart as well.

From seeing the notes he was making about the timeline of the day to hearing all of the minute by minute details as he planned and prepared, it was all so very thoughtful.  I loved that he involved family and friends in this very special day.  That was a gift to all of us!

I have lots of friends that have asked for details and I want to share some of that sweet day here.  First Christopher went to a lot of work to plan an "alibi" for himself and being out of town working on this week-end.  From posting on the work website to texts from the camp he was working on that day - all to prevent her from suspecting anything.  To keep her busy while he was gone, another sweet friend set up a friends photo shoot.  (This was a sweet way to have her dressed and looking cute for the day!)

The photo shoot was to be held at a local park.  Thankfully, the weather was sunny and beautiful!
 Not nearly as cold as I thought it would be either.  It was a gorgeous day!

Friends and family arrived at the park early to set up and figure out what we were doing.

We had a practice run for all of us and I especially wanted Eliana to know what she was doing.

We all had signs.  (The girls are missing in this picture as they are waiting to meet Emily).

When they arrived at the park, Emily was told that there wasn't going to be a photo shoot and that she was going for a walk instead.  She walked with 7 friends who spent the time sharing, encouraging her and praying with her.  :)  The last friend brought her to an amphitheater and told her to go read the journal in the middle of it.

The rest of us were eagerly waiting nearby - but not able to see anything.

Emily went to read a letter that Christopher had written to her.  When she finished, she looked up and Christopher came out of hiding to meet her.  He then got on one knee and asked her to marry him.

And posted by Christopher on facebook:

On Saturday I got down on one knee and asked my best friend to marry me! I'm so very blessed and thankful for all of the amazing friends and family that, helped, loved on and celebrated with Emily and I on this special day! It's been an exciting whirlwind of a weekend, filled with joy, love, laughter, tears, and the biggest, happiest smile I've ever seen on Emily's face! ‪#‎shesaidYES

There was a group of family and friends hiding (and out of view of all of this).  We waited for a cue from one of the photographers and then to music, we all came walking out in pairs holding signs.

 Each pair of signs was an event and a date - the timeline of some significant events in their relationship.  :)  We lined up around the amphitheater until the last sign was presented.

Eliana brought the last sign which said ... Engaged!

We waited a moment before going down to join them, hug and them and take lots of photos.

Is this not a precious picture of Emily with her Dad

Ficken and Nelsen families

Fun shot of Emily with her girlfriends

Leslie, Emily, Christopher and Roger

Emily and Christopher with the guys

Me and my girls!

Eliana and her buddy Jim who was a great help in keeping her doing her job!

Afterwards, we went back to Emily's family home for dinner.  The decorations were all so amazing!

Love the sign!

 And my camera ended up being full while we were here so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.  But just look at the fun we were having here!  This was obviously all a surprise to Emily too!

Nelsen Family

Ficken Family

Friends picture

Delicious dinner!

After eating and playing games, it was time to leave.  What Emily didn't know was that when they returned to Christopher's quiet and darkened house, was that another party was waiting to happen.  Surprise!  More friends and food and fellowship and fun!

The last surprise of the day was waiting for Emily when she returned to her apartment.  Her room was filled with balloons.  This was something that Christopher did for her birthday just before they started dating.  :)

This was an amazing day.  So many moments of God's goodness and grace.  Joy, laughter and love.  Celebration and excitement.

We could not be any more excited for Christopher and Emily!  Their relationship is a beautiful reflection of God at work in their lives.  I am praying for you both daily and love you both so very much!

With a full heart,
Leslie