How He Asked: Brandon & Emma’s Proposal Story

We’re engaged! Brandon asked me to be his wife on Saturday October 5th 2019.

Here is Brandon & Emma’s Proposal Story:

The Week of the Proposal:

Brandon and I entered a busy work season this September. He
recently started a new job and has been traveling for the last month. As he
went back and forth between trade shows and training, my corporate job also
picked up and has been incredibly stressful. While I’ve been trying to get
through work each week, Brandon’s been getting to know his new company and team.

Because Brandon has been traveling for the last month (and I’ve been struggling and distracted with work), I didn’t think Brandon would propose yet. I originally thought that he might propose between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the proposal really took me by surprise.

The week leading up to the proposal, Brandon was in Boston
for training. We were chatting one of the evenings and he mentioned that he
wanted to go on a fall hike with Stephanie (his sister) and Josh (his brother
in law). He said since he was traveling so much, he felt like he was missing
all the fall festivities. He also said it would be fun to bring the dogs Boone
(hopefully you’ve seen him on Instagram stories), Gus, and Howie (Steph &
Josh’s dogs).

I agreed and we planned to go on the hike on Saturday since my mom’s birthday lunch was on Sunday. I didn’t suspect anything about the proposal because Steph, Josh, Brandon, and I frequently hangout. Our dogs also spent the whole summer hanging out as Brandon and I took turns traveling with Steph and Josh.

Our group agreed to meet early at Steph & Josh’s and we
all drove over as a group to Snoqualmie Falls. We were going to hike to the falls
and then grab brunch at the Lodge afterwards.

Brandon landed late that Friday night and pretty much went straight to bed. By this point he had been traveling for two weeks so I knew he was tired. I went to bed Friday night thinking we would just go on a hike with the dogs.

The Day of the Proposal:

Brandon and I got up early on Saturday to meet at Steph
& Josh’s place by 7:30am. We pulled Boone under the bed (I actually pull
him out under the bed every morning) and loaded him up in the car.

When we got to Stephanie and Josh’s, we said bye to Gus
(their 9 month old black lab) because he had kennel cough so he couldn’t come
with us on the hike. Then the two cars headed over to Snoqualmie Falls.

The drive over to Snoqualmie was beautiful. It was the first
week of October so the trees are turning into gold, red, and orange. Brandon
was cool as cucumber and I chatted and shared how my week and blogger event on
Friday went.

We pulled up into the Snoqualmie Parking lot and we were the first two cars there. The dogs were so excited as we unloaded them out of the car. We stopped by the bathrooms before we walked down to the trail.

As we started the hike down towards the falls, Boone was so excited. I knew he loved fall but he was definitely the most excited I’ve ever seen him. The hike was beautiful and the trail was empty. When we got to the bottom of the trail though, we saw that the falls portion of the hike was closed off (I learned later that this was actually where Brandon was planning to propose).

The group paused for a minute and I said that we still could
continue down the river. Holly and I had a photo shoot at the Snoqualmie River
a few years ago and I remembered that was still really scenic. We changed course
and made our way down the river.

When we got to the river, Boone’s energy level was through the roof. He was running through the rocks, hopping into the water, and going nuts. (I realize now that Boone was probably sensing Brandon or the group’s energy – he knew what was coming). Brandon let Boone explore the area and Josh brought his camera out to take photos. The sun and blue sky came out briefly.

The group decided to take some photos and I told Stephanie and Josh that I would take their photos. We found a good photo spot right underneath a tree on the river. I snapped a couple of photos of them and I turned to Brandon to say “we should take a photo next”.

Brandon looked up and around and said “Okay but let’s wait because there’s people in the background”. I was a little surprised because usually I’m the one who cares that there’s people in the background. But I figured maybe he’s just being a good Instagram-boyfriend and knows that those are things I look out for.

Stephanie and Josh ended up tying Howie to a log next to us. They said they would hold Boone when they took our photo. So after the two people in the background moved outside the frame, Brandon and I stood underneath the tree for our photo.

We took our photo and then Brandon turned to me and held me by my shoulders. I was confused why he was doing that and then a part of me realized what was happening.

To be honest, I don’t remember the exact words Brandon told me during those moments. I think he said something along the lines of praying for someone like me to come into his life… something sweet like that. But I was having an out of body experience as I realized he was getting down to one knee.

He unzipped his vest pocket, pulled out the ring, opened the box, and asked “Will you marry me?”

My hands covered my mouth and face in disbelief and I said, “YES!”

He placed the ring on my finger and I started bawling. The
tears streamed down my face and I began sobbing in joy. Brandon and I hugged
for a few minutes and after I wiped away my tears, Stephanie and Josh took our
photos.

Boone ran in front of us as we started to take photos. He looked straight up at me and I swear he was smiling and congratulating us. We were so happy.

Stephanie and Josh came over to congratulate us. They also
brought out champagne and mini glasses for us to cheers.

This was honestly one of my favorite moments of life so far. As our group rejoiced and wiped away happy tears, we made our way back up the hike. On the way back up the hike, I learned that Brandon had been planning the proposal for the last few weeks. Brandon was actually going to ask me the weekend before, but I was really sick.

We got back up to Snoqualmie Lodge for brunch to celebrate. The Lodge was so sweet – they had champagne and rose petals on the table to celebrate our engagement!

After brunch, I sent a photo to my family group chat and announced we were engaged. My little sister immediately called me. Her and her husband Carlos were in the car and she was sobbing. They congratulated us and she said she was waiting all morning for me to announce the news. Then I called my parents, and my mom was also crying. I could hear my dad on the phone saying “PUT IT ON SPEAKER PHONE”. My parents congratulated us and shared their excitement.

How he planned the proposal:

On the car ride home, Brandon shared when he found the ring and how he planned the proposal. I had NO IDEA he had done any of this so I was genuinely surprised.

When he bought the ring:

He told me that he bought the ring this past August. He went back home to the Tricities for his fantasy football draft. He went home a few days early and he ended up meeting up with his sister Courtney to help him pick out an engagement ring at Fred Meyer Jewelers.

Where he hid the ring: 

I also learned that Steph and Josh kept the ring at their house for almost a month and half. I’m glad Brandon hid the ring there because I probably would have found the ring at our apartment. And during the morning of the proposal, Josh handed over the ring to Brandon in the bathroom before the hike. Stephanie and Josh really helped Brandon make the proposal happen.

When he asked my parents for their permission:

Brandon also asked my parents out to dinner the week beforehand. I thought he was leaving for his flight, but he actually went down to Tukwila to meet my parents at the Cheesecake Factory. He formally asked my parents for my hand in marriage and my parents said yes. Apparently, my mom was so excited that she could barely eat her spaghetti and she dropped her silverware twice. My dad also told Brandon that they would take care of the lechon (the traditional roasted pig) for the wedding.

When I didn’t listen to my little sister…

During the week leading up to the proposal, my sister tried
her best to tell me to get to my nails done. And I didn’t… I insisted my nails
needed a break from the shellac. My nails were chipped during the proposal, but
I got them done after we got back from the hike.

In all, I was impressed that my entire family kept the proposal a secret the entire week. They knew Brandon’s plan all along and didn’t squeal or make a peep (there are usually no secrets in our household). I’m also thankful that both our families were involved.

Thank you Brandon for asking me to be your wife.

Thank you to our families who have supported and loved
Brandon and I these last 3+ years.

Thank you to everyone who congratulated us when we announced
our engagement!

Brandon and I are so excited to take the next together in
our life.

Thank you for reading Brandon & Emma’s Proposal Story!

Love,

Emma