Just Jen…And James!!

You all met Jen and James a couple of weeks ago and as promised I am now delivering on the adorable proposal story…

AF: How did it happen? How did you propose?

James: Jen’s family has a Christmas pickle that her mother hides in the tree each year. It’s mainly for the younger kids but whoever finds it gets an extra gift.

So on Christmas Eve, before the family party, I drove to her Grandfather’s house and asked him if I could have Jen’s hand in marriage. Then I found this really nice poem expressing my love to her wrapped it around the Christmas pickle jar. On top of the poem I wrote a note instructing her to read the poem to herself facing the tree and not to turn around until she was finished.

The time had come; everybody was finished opening their gifts and I said to Jen “To get your gift you have to find the Christmas pickle”. All this time I had been playing it off that I wasn’t going to be able to get her a very nice gift for Christmas because we were kind of tight on money so who knows what she thought it was going to be. She headed to the tree (my heart was racing!!) and with her family behind me in her mothers’ living room I got down on one knee.  When she was finished reading the poem she turned around. Already teary eyed from the poem she saw me on my knee and immediately started crying. I was crying, shaking, and was unable to speak. After a minute or so I finally asked her to marry me.  It couldn’t have been any better!

AF: How did you come up with that idea?

James: I initially wanted to propose New Years Eve but I had the ring for awhile and just couldn’t wait that long. I spoke with her mother and told her I changed my mind on the proposal date. Knowing I wanted to do something with the tree, my mother-in-law mentioned the Christmas pickle and then the idea just came to me.

AF: Tell me about the ring! How did you find it?

James: Summer of 2009 Jen and I were walking down Broadway in Saratoga Springs and went into Gemset of Saratoga. We started browsing the store and Jen spotted a couple of rings she liked. She only tried one on and that was the one I eventually bought for her.  It fit perfectly. It is a half carat 18k white gold vintage ring. November 2009 came a long and I remembered that particular ring she tried on and went back to the jewelry store. I was disappointed when I first went in because I didn’t see it, but then looked a little harder and spotted it. I purchased it and that was it.

AF: What does your dream wedding include?

Jen: James!! Romance, close friends and family, amazing food and lot’s of it!, 1930’s music, decor and Old Hollywood Glamour. Add New Year’s Eve in and to me it’s a dream I couldn’t even fathom as a little girl.

James: Marrying the woman I was meant to spend my life with.