Scott is going to write most of this because he did A LOT of behind the scenes planning, and honestly… I was so shocked when he proposed, i kind of blacked out. Hope you enjoy!

{Scott} It had been almost five weeks now since I bought the ring and still Marie hadn’t the slightest clue about it. We were getting ready to make our fifth annual trip to Madison for the candlelight tour of homes and our friends Chris and Haley Shaw were joining us this year.

A few weeks prior, I had told Chris about the proposal, but neither of us told Haley. I knew it would be in Madison, but I would have to determine the specific location once we arrived.

{Marie} Scott and I have been going up to the tour of homes since we first started dating. This year we went to the tour of homes on Saturday night, instead of Friday. So Saturday, we spent the day shopping in Athens and Madison. We went to one of my favorite vintage stores in Athens to try on dresses. Side note: I had told Scott that when he proposed I didn’t want to be in work out clothes with my hair in a pony tail. I wanted to look nice. I tried on and bought this great vintage dress that I was planning on wearing to a wedding the next weekend. Scott made such a big deal about how much he liked the dress, I thought maybe he would proposed the next weekend while we were both dressed up. But I quickly put that thought out of my mind and enjoyed the rest of my shopping.

{Scott} Saturday afternoon comes and we make it to Madison. We are early for the tour so the girls decide to run into a few shops. I start into planning mode with Chris and try to figure out when and where to do it. I knew the park downtown was very pretty and thought it would work nicely.

We catch up with the girls in a store and determine everyone needs a bathroom break. So I suggest that the information center in the park has public restrooms, so we make the trip.

Lo and behold as we pass the corner there are loads of people in the park! The tour registration tent is on one side, there was a group taking pictures for a formal, and people walking all over.{Marie} Plus, a couple sitting/kissing on the park bench near us. {Scott} Some people may like public proposals, but Marie and I are very private people and I knew that wouldn’t be special.

So we all use the restroom and come out one at a time and I’m the first one out. I climbed to the top of some stairs that overlooked the park and the James Madison Inn. {Marie} When I come out of the restroom, Scott is standing at the top of the stairs, almost surveying the landscape. I think I even asked him what he was doing. {Scott} As we’re all standing there, Haley says ‘Take a picture of Chris and I’. I looked at Chris and he looked back as if to say ‘This is it!’

Chris and Haley pose and I take great care to set the camera up, making sure focus is in check, the background is clear and pretty and take a few pictures. Now I suggest Marie and I have some pictures taken. We switch places and hand the camera to Haley, who is completely unaware of what is about to happen. Chris is frantically trying to get the camera back to catch the moments coming and Haley is determined she will take the pictures!

She snaps a few of us standing there and I turn to Marie {Marie} At first he just moves a little and I think, “Why is he moving, he is ruining the picture!” {Scott } and whisper in her ear ‘I love you’. {Marie} I know Scott and I have been dating for a while, but he told me he wasn’t going to say ‘I love you’ until he proposed. So even though I heard him say it, it didn’t click in my head. I was thinking, “Why is he saying that in front of Chris and Haley! It was suppose to be special.” And I look at him, and his eyes are a little watery and I think ” Oh, this is about to happen!”

{Scott} She looks back at me with a bit of a confused look in her face as I step to one knee and pull the ring from my pocket. It’s right about now that Haley sticks her head around the camera with a confused look and ‘What’s happening?’ comment, and Chris takes control of the camera.

‘Will you marry me?’ – ‘What?’ – ‘Will you marry me?’ – ‘Yes!’ She tells me to put the ring on, and as I stand to kiss her she says in her moment of confusion ‘I did say yes, didn’t I?’

Her confusion, surprise, and also the realization when she saw it was the ring she picked out five weeks ago that day. The moment couldn’t have been planned better.

{Marie} Make sure to check out our engagement night photos!