The Proposal
Alex’s point of view..
Eric had asked me about a week before on that following Sunday if we could have an “us day”. He asked that we not make plans with anyone, get a little dressed up, and enjoy each other’s company over drinks and appetizers at Granite City. After eating that Sunday, he asked if we could go on a walk at Holmes Lake. He convinced me even though it was the middle of November and I was in heels. When we pulled into Holmes Lake, Eric was driving suspiciously slow. He made a comment about all the pretty colors of the fall leaves. We found a parking place and began walking up a gravel trail. I was not prepared for this walk given the shoes that I was in. Once we got to the top of the hill we stopped to look out over the lake and the fall trees. When I looked over at Eric, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Once I had said yes and stopped crying, Eric informed me that he got a friend of mine to take pictures of the proposal.
After we took a few more pictures I wanted to share the news with our families. Eric asked that we go back to his house to drink some champagne and celebrate alone before we began calling family and friends. Reluctantly, I agreed. Once we got into his neighborhood, I noticed there was an odd number of cars on his street. As we pulled up to the house, I saw the house was filled with many of our friends and family members. For the rest of the night we celebrated with our loved ones with champagne and cake.
Eric’s point of view..
All the hurdles. I knew friends and family needed to be there to celebrate our big day. Between their schedules, our schedules, and Husker football season, there were only so many days to choose from. Trying to talk dates with Alex while keeping the real reason secret became a massive chore. I am usually a terrible liar, so I have no idea how I made things work. Guilt trips became my weapon of choice.
“Alex, I just want a day to ourselves; no plans, no people, just us. We’re just so busy all the time.”
“We never dress up and get out, we should do it for us.”
“We have to go on a walk at the lake after. There’s only so many nice days left this year.”
“Please, I just want a moment by ourselves before getting in touch with our families.”
The entire time I felt so guilty, but I knew the end justified the means. I even made her walk out on a gravel trail in heels. At least I know she truly loves me J.The moment itself was perfect. She had become accustomed to replying “Sunday?” when I’d tell her “Someday”. We walked out on the path circling the lake. When we got to the top of the hill, I stopped her. I had such a great speech planned in my head, but about half the words came out. She got the gist and through the tears, said yes. I had one last surprise at the house with all our family and friends gathered, and we spent the night eating and drinking with all those we love most.
Dream Dress
Sparkles were a requirement! I also wanted a combination of tulle and lace. I knew there would be a lot of moving around with dancing and giving hugs, so I wanted to find a dress that would be easy to move around (and breathe) in. I also wanted a dress that had more of a winter feel to it since our wedding was going to be in December.
How did I know it was THE dress?
I knew my dress was the one when I saw myself in it for the first time. It had an amazing amount of glitter and it made me feel like a princess. We even called the dress “the tooth fairy dress”. It fit our winter wonderland theme perfectly. Once I had it on, I did not want to take it off! After trying it on the first time I walked away to see what other dresses were out there and attended another appointment at a different bridal shop. I found myself comparing each dress I tried on to my “tooth fairy” dress. The ladies at Ellynne Bridal were able to fit me in that same day to come back in and try on the dress for my in-laws to see as I said yes to the dress.
Wedding Details
For the ladies, our day started bright and early at 7am. My bridesmaids, personal attendants, and I stayed the night in a corner suite at the Cornhusker the night before. We were able to wake up in our matching pajamas and enjoy mimosas and bagels as hair and makeup began. The guys met up at Hi-Way Diner and were able to enjoy Eric’s favorite meal of the day.
Once our hair and makeup were complete, we shuttled over to the church for lunch and to finish getting ready. Eric and the priest entered the church at 2pm followed by our wedding party. Canon in D began, as my father walked me down the aisle to meet Eric at the altar.
Following the ceremony, we boarded our party bus to begin taking wedding party pictures. We made our first stop at Pioneer’s Park. It was a cold December day, so we attempted to keep each other warm as we posed out in a field. Before leaving the park, for our last picture we used confetti cannons Eric and I had purchased at a firework stand back in July. These were so much fun to use and the pictures turned out amazing! We completed our wedding party pictures at the Sheldon Art gallery. Our bus dropped us off at the front doors of the Cornhusker just in time to enjoy the last hour of our cocktail hour. During this time, Eric and I were able to get pictures with our large extended families on the grand staircase.
Our guests were let into the Lancaster ballroom around 6pm to find their seats as the wedding party was announced. After our introduction, Eric and I cut our cake and our priest said a prayer before we were served our meals. Speeches, our first dance, father-daughter and mother-son dances were complete. The rest of the night included happy tears, lots of dancing, and laughter. We concluded our night with most of the guests on the dance floor singing “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey at the tops of our lungs.
Wedding Vision
Eric and I had always talked about a winter wedding. We both enjoy cold weather and love the snow. I love flowers so I wanted to incorporate flowers and greenery any way that I could. Growing up and attending weddings with my family I often told my mom I wanted Frank Sinatra playing during dinner at my wedding. Therefore, I created a playlist for our reception that consisted of Frank Sinatra and other similar artists (including the Christmas classics). An important piece for us was also our memory table. We wanted to celebrate the marriages of our parents, their parents, and so on. We also wanted to remember loved ones that are no longer with us. We wanted our day to have a cozy winter feel.
Special Thanks..
Brooke Confer Photography
Ellynne Bridal
Makeup: Alicia’s Makeup Artistry
Venue: The Cornhusker Marriott
DJ: Matt Eskra
Cake: Hy-Vee
Floral: Petals to Platinum
Suits: Emsud’s
Rings: Sartor Hamann
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