She also told me he comes from the kind of family and community that it's expected to see an engagement not too long after dating for a year. I couldn't even imagine that, especially considering we were both freshman in college and he was about to go off to graduate school for pharmacy.
But, this meant I wasn't surprised when they fell hard for each other. Ryan gave Sarah several fine pieces of jewelry, but the most perfect piece was the ring her gave her in New Orleans.
The poor boy tried his hardest to keep the engagement a surprise, but Sarah had it figured out before we even packed up the car.
She texted me and our other two best friends, Becca and Lynnzi, while I was at work. If you want to know how I felt google "Parks and Recreation Ron's Wedding" and watch the first video. You'll witness my favorite Andy moment, which is his dramatic gasp when Diane enters the scene, and my exact reaction to Sarah telling us she had suspicions that Ryan was going to propose. I spent the rest of my shift antsy about the entire thing. Hoping he'd have a photographer prepared so you could see me in the background flipping out, sobbing, and being a total wreck.
Once I was released I drove down to Lexington to stay with Sarah for the night and listen to all the details of why she thought Ryan would propose. She explained that he'd turned his location off while shopping with his family, he'd asked her not to go to his apartment without him, even though she did that regularly. And, her Mom has no poker face. I'd grabbed a bottle of blue nail polish at Kroger on my way down to Lexington and painted her nails, a little shaky thinking about how they'd look with a ring on them.
By the time we fell asleep, innocently discussing ideal proposals and wedding plans Sarah had convinced herself it was all in her head.
Of course, this fact didn't stop her from begging me to ask Ryan bluntly if he was going to propose, considering texting her parents saying "IT HAPPENED!" to see what they would say, and even making several obvious hints about proposals. The latter included her saying "I had a dream last night I got proposed to. In New Orleans." And as best friend, I decided to pitch in, "In a restaurant?" As I knew she would Sarah rejected the idea, and luckily Ryan is smart and said, "Good. Because you told me not to propose to you in a restaurant."
The entire drive down was pretty much Sarah and I side eyeing Ryan, trying to figure out his game plan.
While I took a faded in and out of a nap in the backseat I overheard Ryan and Sarah talking about their plans. Ryan wanted to do a fancy dinner and a carriage ride, made extra romantic with a third wheel.
Side note: Sarah and I are both very comfortable with each other. We are almost constantly touching and telling each other how beautiful they are. It's not surprising if people think we're gay. But, of course,
By the time we fell asleep, innocently discussing ideal proposals and wedding plans Sarah had convinced herself it was all in her head.
Of course, this fact didn't stop her from begging me to ask Ryan bluntly if he was going to propose, considering texting her parents saying "IT HAPPENED!" to see what they would say, and even making several obvious hints about proposals. The latter included her saying "I had a dream last night I got proposed to. In New Orleans." And as best friend, I decided to pitch in, "In a restaurant?" As I knew she would Sarah rejected the idea, and luckily Ryan is smart and said, "Good. Because you told me not to propose to you in a restaurant."
The entire drive down was pretty much Sarah and I side eyeing Ryan, trying to figure out his game plan.
While I took a faded in and out of a nap in the backseat I overheard Ryan and Sarah talking about their plans. Ryan wanted to do a fancy dinner and a carriage ride, made extra romantic with a third wheel.
Side note: Sarah and I are both very comfortable with each other. We are almost constantly touching and telling each other how beautiful they are. It's not surprising if people think we're gay. But, of course,
Side, side note: My goal is to have seen Parks and Rec so many times I have a reference for evetyhing. Doing good so far!
Anyways. Romantic date night, featuring Paige. So, this wasn't the end of it. Ryan also wanted to stop at the French Quarters and take pictures in front of this giant, scenic cathedral. Pictures. This is when Sarah started side eyeing him SO HARD!
I mentioned his background, he's a pretty humble and quiet person. Not really one who's super excited about pictures. Even on vacation. This was a huge hint. And even though Sarah had texted our group chat again, confessing her doubts, I still remained hopeful, enjoying this mystery.
We arrived at the hotel and settled in, unpacking, and continuing to make plans. Sarah casually mentioned the weather tomorrow was going to be poor, and that was the day we were going to "take pictures." Well, Ryan was pretty upset about that. He didn't get angry or visibly anxious, but it took him a bit to accept the fact that the weather would not be proposal perfect. He searched online to see when exactly would be the best time to do our fancy meal, and where we could go for breakfast.
His reaction to the weather was a huge hint, but the fact that he didn't have a dinner destination in mind, or have a carriage secured made me doubt that it was actually happening. Ryan is organized, he is smart, in my mind he would've had a plan locked down before we got in the car for New Orleans. Since I had nothing to really lose or gain from this situation, I smiled at all the conflicting information.
One of the things Sarah had noticed in the past week was Ryan being secretive with what was in his pockets. She'd seen him dip in his parents car and shove something in his pockets before they parted from dinner. This was after he'd turned his location off. When she asked, he fired back with, "Why are you being noisy about what's in my pockets?" I heard this line for myself on the car ride down, though he didn't have the ring in his pockets, he was just commenting on Sarah's curiosity. He also refused to let her search his backpack in the hotel.
He had left his toiletry bag in the car, but Sarah wanted to make sure it wasn't just in his backpack. He was very adamant about her not looking in his bag, and eventually directed her to the door so they could go to the car for it. After they'd left I was tempted to peak in the backpack, but I just wanted to play Jessica Fletcher and solve the mystery the fair way. (I was gonna say Bert Macklin, FBI, but I figured Jessica Fletcher would be more universal.) Of course, when Sarah came back she hopped in the shower, and Ryan asked, "Do you wanna know a secret?"
I jumped on their bed to pinkie promise not to tell Sarah. Then, he dug into his backpack and pulled out the box. The ring was beautiful. It was rose gold, had a halo setting, and the most beautiful pink stone ever seen.
"For reals, for reals?" I asked, a mix of unable to find the words and not wanting to blurt "OMG WE KNEW IT!!!!"
"For reals, for reals." He said, revealing his plan as if it wasn't obvious to us. "I'm gonna do it during pictures," duh, "do you think Sarah knows?"
As a polite person I responded, "I think she has her suspicions, but she's convinced herself it's not actually going to happen." Which was half true. She was going back and forth.
I'd like to note that I thought I'd get more of a heads up when Sarah was getting proposed to. She had made it very clear he needed her parent's permission, and her best friends. That included me and the girls. This way, I could've sent Ryan the picture of a ring Sarah had texted me saying it was her dream ring (though the one he made her was absolutely perfect), then taken her to get our nails done, so they'd be picture perfect. Sarah had asked if she should get her nails done or buy a new dress for the trip and he encouraged it, telling her to do what makes her happiest. She ended up not doing either, but luckily I was there with Tiffany blue nail polish the night before we left. Not that her gold nail polish didn't look good, but the blue really matched the pink stone. I'm telling you, her actual ring out shines any of the rings she had on Pinterest.
I returned to my bed and curled into the same position I'd been before, scrolling through Buzzfeed, trying not to freak out when Sarah returned from the shower.
She told me afterwards that I was very good at keeping it a secret, even though she was pretty positive it was going to happen. It was hard though, especially when we were alone the morning before it happened. Trying not to reveal too much I looked at her after fixing a couple of spots on her nails and said, "By the time we get back to this hotel, we'll know."
Poor Sarah was nervous. But, there wasn't a lot to worry about. Sure, this is a big moment that we'll remember for the rest of our lives, but I knew she'd say yes. Whenever Ryan and Sarah fought, or Sarah talked about how much she loved Ryan she'd always say, "I mean, if he got down on one knee tomorrow I'd say yes. In a heartbeat."
This is probably why Ryan told me he wasn't nervous that morning. He confessed that the thought of her saying "no" didn't even cross his mind. He knew she loved him to the moon and back.
So, the big day began. In Ryan's mind I'm sure it went very smoothly. He'd reserve a table at a nice restaurant, as well as a carriage ride that involved flowers and Christmas lights and romantic music. Then, they'd look at the city in all it's glory before arriving at the square. In the moonlight they'd pose for pictures, and Sarah would be so caught up in the romance of it she would be absolutely blown away when he got down on one knee. Then, as she let out happy tears, he'd confess his love in the most elegant way, before asking, "Will you marry me?"
Sarah would shout "Yes! A thousand times, yes!" While he slide the ring on her finger, joy overflowing from his heart. And I would be there too, taking the pictures, screaming and crying, reveling in the movie-like scene.
Of course, that's not how it went. We rushed to a breakfast place, trying to get to the Cathedral before it started pouring. It was a lovely place. A little casual, so we were slightly out of place in skirts and dresses, but the food was soooo good! I geared the conversation towards memory lane, asking Ryan for his side of the story when asking Sarah out. Then, I suggested they were the perfect mix of sweet and savory. I took innocent pictures of them, hoping to scrapbook them as "Three hours before she said 'yes!'" But, Sarah had noted the large box shape that Ryan's cargo shorts pocket had taken.
Ryan, the box was beautiful, but a little bulky.
When Sarah went to wash her hands before eating I asked Ryan if he was nervous. As you know, he wasn't. His only fear was that the box would fall out, even though it was safely secured in the pocket. He was also worried about the rain and carriage ride. I told him what I like most about significant days, "Anything that goes wrong will just become a memory."
Sometimes the things that go wrong are horrible, like if Sarah were to say "no." But other times there things that you can smile about almost immediately after it happens.
After breakfast we walked to the carriages, which were conveniently in front of the Cathedral. It was already starting to sprinkle, and the clouds hung dark and heavy over us. We went down the line of carriages, but each one said they were turning in because of the rain. Finally, we ended up standing next to another family that wanted to ride, which must've been why one of the drivers told us to hop on. He assured us he wasn't worried because he talked real loud.
With my rose colored sun glasses on, I climbed in the carriage. I thought to myself, "We'll be dry under the cover! The driver is just worried about the sound of the rain! This is great. Memories!" It wasn't private, since we had the other family, and covered the history of New Orleans, which doesn't sound really romantic. But, Sarah is an architecture major who wants to focus on historical preservation as a career, so when they talked about the history of the buildings and Ryan was by her side, I imagine it was similar to foreplay. Of course, I was on her other side.
It started to rain cats and dogs about four minutes into the tour. I was quickly soaked on my right side thanks to that fine New Orleans wind and rain. I think the driver also regretted his decision. He tried to block the rain with an umbrella, but it wasn't much use. I could hardly look towards the buildings on my right side because the rain was coming in, or the nice decorative fringe on the cover would slap me with water as it swayed in the wind. Sarah stayed mostly dry, still getting misted a little when the wind blew hard enough, but Ryan and I blocked most of it. It was her day, she was the princess.
Whenever the tour guide would say "You'll notice the architecture," Ryan and I would look at Sarah in the goofiest ways. We were like two parents showing their pride in their child's knowledge. At the word "Architecture" the two of us would be like, "Hey! You! You know these words and definitions! So smart! Wow!" And Sarah, graceful as ever would be like, "Yes, I know!" Though, she told us he was incorrect about one style of pillar.
When we finished the tour it was still pouring. The line to Cafe Du Monde was too long to wait in, so we ducked into their gift shop. I was freezing after this trip, and my skirt was officially see-through on the right side. I purchased a large sweatshirt and put it on as soon as I could.
I mentioned his background, he's a pretty humble and quiet person. Not really one who's super excited about pictures. Even on vacation. This was a huge hint. And even though Sarah had texted our group chat again, confessing her doubts, I still remained hopeful, enjoying this mystery.
We arrived at the hotel and settled in, unpacking, and continuing to make plans. Sarah casually mentioned the weather tomorrow was going to be poor, and that was the day we were going to "take pictures." Well, Ryan was pretty upset about that. He didn't get angry or visibly anxious, but it took him a bit to accept the fact that the weather would not be proposal perfect. He searched online to see when exactly would be the best time to do our fancy meal, and where we could go for breakfast.
His reaction to the weather was a huge hint, but the fact that he didn't have a dinner destination in mind, or have a carriage secured made me doubt that it was actually happening. Ryan is organized, he is smart, in my mind he would've had a plan locked down before we got in the car for New Orleans. Since I had nothing to really lose or gain from this situation, I smiled at all the conflicting information.
One of the things Sarah had noticed in the past week was Ryan being secretive with what was in his pockets. She'd seen him dip in his parents car and shove something in his pockets before they parted from dinner. This was after he'd turned his location off. When she asked, he fired back with, "Why are you being noisy about what's in my pockets?" I heard this line for myself on the car ride down, though he didn't have the ring in his pockets, he was just commenting on Sarah's curiosity. He also refused to let her search his backpack in the hotel.
He had left his toiletry bag in the car, but Sarah wanted to make sure it wasn't just in his backpack. He was very adamant about her not looking in his bag, and eventually directed her to the door so they could go to the car for it. After they'd left I was tempted to peak in the backpack, but I just wanted to play Jessica Fletcher and solve the mystery the fair way. (I was gonna say Bert Macklin, FBI, but I figured Jessica Fletcher would be more universal.) Of course, when Sarah came back she hopped in the shower, and Ryan asked, "Do you wanna know a secret?"
I jumped on their bed to pinkie promise not to tell Sarah. Then, he dug into his backpack and pulled out the box. The ring was beautiful. It was rose gold, had a halo setting, and the most beautiful pink stone ever seen.
"For reals, for reals?" I asked, a mix of unable to find the words and not wanting to blurt "OMG WE KNEW IT!!!!"
"For reals, for reals." He said, revealing his plan as if it wasn't obvious to us. "I'm gonna do it during pictures," duh, "do you think Sarah knows?"
As a polite person I responded, "I think she has her suspicions, but she's convinced herself it's not actually going to happen." Which was half true. She was going back and forth.
I'd like to note that I thought I'd get more of a heads up when Sarah was getting proposed to. She had made it very clear he needed her parent's permission, and her best friends. That included me and the girls. This way, I could've sent Ryan the picture of a ring Sarah had texted me saying it was her dream ring (though the one he made her was absolutely perfect), then taken her to get our nails done, so they'd be picture perfect. Sarah had asked if she should get her nails done or buy a new dress for the trip and he encouraged it, telling her to do what makes her happiest. She ended up not doing either, but luckily I was there with Tiffany blue nail polish the night before we left. Not that her gold nail polish didn't look good, but the blue really matched the pink stone. I'm telling you, her actual ring out shines any of the rings she had on Pinterest.
I returned to my bed and curled into the same position I'd been before, scrolling through Buzzfeed, trying not to freak out when Sarah returned from the shower.
She told me afterwards that I was very good at keeping it a secret, even though she was pretty positive it was going to happen. It was hard though, especially when we were alone the morning before it happened. Trying not to reveal too much I looked at her after fixing a couple of spots on her nails and said, "By the time we get back to this hotel, we'll know."
Poor Sarah was nervous. But, there wasn't a lot to worry about. Sure, this is a big moment that we'll remember for the rest of our lives, but I knew she'd say yes. Whenever Ryan and Sarah fought, or Sarah talked about how much she loved Ryan she'd always say, "I mean, if he got down on one knee tomorrow I'd say yes. In a heartbeat."
This is probably why Ryan told me he wasn't nervous that morning. He confessed that the thought of her saying "no" didn't even cross his mind. He knew she loved him to the moon and back.
So, the big day began. In Ryan's mind I'm sure it went very smoothly. He'd reserve a table at a nice restaurant, as well as a carriage ride that involved flowers and Christmas lights and romantic music. Then, they'd look at the city in all it's glory before arriving at the square. In the moonlight they'd pose for pictures, and Sarah would be so caught up in the romance of it she would be absolutely blown away when he got down on one knee. Then, as she let out happy tears, he'd confess his love in the most elegant way, before asking, "Will you marry me?"
Sarah would shout "Yes! A thousand times, yes!" While he slide the ring on her finger, joy overflowing from his heart. And I would be there too, taking the pictures, screaming and crying, reveling in the movie-like scene.
Of course, that's not how it went. We rushed to a breakfast place, trying to get to the Cathedral before it started pouring. It was a lovely place. A little casual, so we were slightly out of place in skirts and dresses, but the food was soooo good! I geared the conversation towards memory lane, asking Ryan for his side of the story when asking Sarah out. Then, I suggested they were the perfect mix of sweet and savory. I took innocent pictures of them, hoping to scrapbook them as "Three hours before she said 'yes!'" But, Sarah had noted the large box shape that Ryan's cargo shorts pocket had taken.
Ryan, the box was beautiful, but a little bulky.
When Sarah went to wash her hands before eating I asked Ryan if he was nervous. As you know, he wasn't. His only fear was that the box would fall out, even though it was safely secured in the pocket. He was also worried about the rain and carriage ride. I told him what I like most about significant days, "Anything that goes wrong will just become a memory."
Sometimes the things that go wrong are horrible, like if Sarah were to say "no." But other times there things that you can smile about almost immediately after it happens.
After breakfast we walked to the carriages, which were conveniently in front of the Cathedral. It was already starting to sprinkle, and the clouds hung dark and heavy over us. We went down the line of carriages, but each one said they were turning in because of the rain. Finally, we ended up standing next to another family that wanted to ride, which must've been why one of the drivers told us to hop on. He assured us he wasn't worried because he talked real loud.
With my rose colored sun glasses on, I climbed in the carriage. I thought to myself, "We'll be dry under the cover! The driver is just worried about the sound of the rain! This is great. Memories!" It wasn't private, since we had the other family, and covered the history of New Orleans, which doesn't sound really romantic. But, Sarah is an architecture major who wants to focus on historical preservation as a career, so when they talked about the history of the buildings and Ryan was by her side, I imagine it was similar to foreplay. Of course, I was on her other side.
It started to rain cats and dogs about four minutes into the tour. I was quickly soaked on my right side thanks to that fine New Orleans wind and rain. I think the driver also regretted his decision. He tried to block the rain with an umbrella, but it wasn't much use. I could hardly look towards the buildings on my right side because the rain was coming in, or the nice decorative fringe on the cover would slap me with water as it swayed in the wind. Sarah stayed mostly dry, still getting misted a little when the wind blew hard enough, but Ryan and I blocked most of it. It was her day, she was the princess.
Whenever the tour guide would say "You'll notice the architecture," Ryan and I would look at Sarah in the goofiest ways. We were like two parents showing their pride in their child's knowledge. At the word "Architecture" the two of us would be like, "Hey! You! You know these words and definitions! So smart! Wow!" And Sarah, graceful as ever would be like, "Yes, I know!" Though, she told us he was incorrect about one style of pillar.
When we finished the tour it was still pouring. The line to Cafe Du Monde was too long to wait in, so we ducked into their gift shop. I was freezing after this trip, and my skirt was officially see-through on the right side. I purchased a large sweatshirt and put it on as soon as I could.
I really felt like the belle of the ball. Also, Sarah told me not to outshine her, so I just decided to step it up a notch and dress as if I was taking the walk of shame, New Orleans style.
It continued to rain for the next few hours. But, the tour guide had told us about a museum near by and we decided to visit. It was the Hurricane Katrina visit, and though it was very sobering and unusual to do before a proposal, I enjoyed the museum. It was heart breaking, and informative, and brought to light a lot of stuff I wasn't told about this disaster.
Then, on the second floor was the Mardi Gras museum. It was colorful, and sometimes creepy, but mostly glamorous. We had our fun trying to figure out how the parade float stimulator worked, and picking out the perfect crown for Sarah, and reading out the different float traditions. Outside the rain had eased up, but we wanted it to clear up some more. Also, here is a picture of the lovely couple at the museum, and in it you can see how wet Ryan had gotten and how dry Sarah stayed:
Folks, that's true love.
We found a restaurant with a bar and settled in. Luckily, they were also playing the college basketball game on the TV. UK was playing, and Ryan wanted to catch it. We (he) watched the tail end of the game, and Sarah and I drank delicious sugary drinks. I mentioned I was taking pictures of them, so here is my favorite "1 hour before he gets down on one knee!"
Sarah is a true goddess, I tell ya.
After the Cats won (77/72, just for everyone's reference) the sun came out. Sarah and I hoped for rainbows, as it was a true miracle that it was so pretty outside. We finished our drinks and then Sarah and I headed to the bathroom. She confessed she was nervous, but I was excited. We talked about how crazy it would be if we had to start planning a wedding, but also how exciting it would be!
The square was just across the street from the restaurant we were at, and everyone was out and about that afternoon. I followed behind Sarah, as she surveyed the landscape, stopping at a few flower patches and shady trees, but deciding against it. She then made a b-line for the fountain, she knew it was the perfect spot, and that's where Ryan had planned to it anyways.
2 minutes until engagement!!
"Do you have a game plan?" I asked Ryan, expecting him to say he was gonna get down when she wasn't looking, but he didn't. He just handed me his phone with the camera ready to go.
I started a video on my phone and snapped several photos on his phone. Then, the glory happened. Ryan turned to Sarah and said, "Actually I have one more picture I want to take." To which Sarah, the beautiful, nosey, sunflower said, "I know you do."
We were in front of a crowd and no one was reacting, so I tried to give my best enthusiastic "YAY!" As I could to A) Act surprised even though I wasn't, and B) Get them some applause and maybe an "aw" or two, but it came out super sarcastic. As soon as I started saying "Yay!" I regretted it. I knew it'd sound weird on camera, and it didn't sound genuine at all. The rest of the trip was us saying "yaaaayyy" and "I know" to each other.
Sarah and Ryan Facetimed their parents and friends, and I texted our best friends and my boyfriend. I sent videos and pictures galore, I jumped for joy with Sarah because she and Ryan are in love and life was good! The ring was perfect, she was perfect, the day was perfect! Even if some details didn't go as Ryan had planned.
We retreated to the hotel to change into dry clothes, and so I could make a Walgreens trip to get hand sanitizer, water, and some make up wipes. Much needed items. Couldn't go another second without them. Then, Sarah scheduled herself an appointment for the day after we returned home at the Couture Closet in my hometown, LaGrange. Google that places. It's local and beautiful and I have dreamed of trying on the dresses in the window since I was a little girl.
Sarah's sister turned down the maid of honor position, so Sarah got down on one knee and asked me! I was so happy, and so ready to plan this wedding. We also began to clean out her Pinterest so we could re-organize an official wedding board. We talked so much about wedding planning that Ryan got annoyed with us. But, we couldn't help it. I wanted to plan the wedding in a single day, and I still do. But, there's a lot that goes into it, so it's a process.
But, I'm enjoying every second. I can't wait for these two to tie the knot!
Waiting for breakfast before he popped the big question 💗
