Today marks one year since my sweet husband got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I thought the best way to tell our engagement story would be to share something I wrote about our engagement right after it happened. And I hope you guys enjoy a few pictures of that sweet day!

Well, I’d say my recent NYC trip was nothing short of a sweet dream. That city has held such special memories for my family and I. So, Matt couldn’t have chosen a better city to pop the question.

During the first weekend in November, Matt and I were planning to meet up with our friends Amanda and Garrett in New York. We rented an apartment from Air B&B that was quite fabulous and an amazing Chelsea location. We focused our time in Central Park, the Highline, Midtown and lower Manhattan. One of my favorite things about NYC is that you can visit the city a million times and still never run out of things to do. Also while we were visiting, a few family members and other friends also happened to be in the city, making the weekend even more special.

On the second day of our trip, we spent the entire cold, windy day in Central Park. I’ve always had such a love for this part of NYC and could get lost in it for hours. I’d never been here in the fall, so that was extra magical. The fall colors and gorgeous weather just make everything so much better. Anyway, we spent the day exploring the park, stopping to take pictures (like true tourists), watching street shows, taking note of all the interesting people and walking miles. Toward the end of the day, we got to the Great Lawn and we came upon this beautiful view of the city skyline. At that point, Matt asked me if I wanted to take a picture there, so he hands his phone to Garrett. Amanda got her camera out, something she’d been doing all day…so I didn’t think much of it. Matt goes to stand next to me for the picture, but then says, “Wait, first I have to ask you something.” He then gets down on one knee and proceeds to tell me why he wants to marry me, as he’s presenting this gorgeous ring to me. He asked me if I’d marry him and I said, “Yes, of course!” It didn’t quite hit me at first that this had just happened. I may have even gotten a little teary eyed, or maybe it was the cold wind? 😉

He’d worked long and hard on designing this custom ring for me. It’s just so elegant and unique, which is exactly what I’d hoped to one day have as an engagement ring. Matt had this whole thing planned since we started talking about our New York trip a few months before and he had quite a few people helping him throw me off his tracks. Also, getting to celebrate our engagement in NYC was everything I could’ve hoped for and more. I liked the fact that we didn’t just get engaged one minute and then it was over, but instead, we had the whole long weekend to bask in our newly engaged bliss. Right after we got engaged, we FaceTimed my family and contacted the rest of our loved ones to tell them the good news. That’s when it finally started to sink in that we were actually engaged!! After we talked with our families, we walked hand in hand down 5th Ave trying to keep warm as the sun started to set. I think it was one of the happiest, sweetest moments of my life. After dinner, we met back up with Amanda and Garrett for a second round of celebrating at a Mexican place in Midtown.

I feel so grateful to have Matt as the man I get to grow old with, because he’s just the kindest and most loving person. He’s going to be such a great husband, because he loves me so well and inspires me to love others in a better way. He works long, hard hours and shows such persistence even when things are difficult or adversity strikes. He’s one of the smartest people I know and always does his best to make a wise choice. He inspires me to take chances and be adventurous, because he’s always right there and does everything he can to make sure I feel safe. He makes me laugh and from the day I met him, I’ve always felt 100% myself with him. I thank God for him, for the way we met and God’s perfect timing. I am so excited to celebrate our marriage with our loved ones and travel to new places together, but I’m even more excited to spend everyday life with him. The big moments are wonderful and all, but when you find someone who you want to do everyday life with (the good, the bad, the ugly), that’s when you’ve really got something worth fighting for. Life just isn’t easy no matter how you slice it, but having someone there to walk alongside you is one of the greatest gifts.

And a year later, I still feel all of those feelings. Most importantly, I still feel so grateful to have the opportunity to be part of marriage with a man who wants to work at things and grow together in this life we’ve been given. Marriage has taught me a whole lot and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us!

Cheers!

xx

Aubrey

Photo credit: Amanda Fontenot