We hear so many great proposal stories. Some are romantic, some are funny, some are elaborately planned, but each is unique and, for those involved in them, perfect. Today, we are sharing ours. In addition to working with Amanda as a husband and wife photography team, I (Chad) am a full time police officer since 2001. Working in law enforcement in a small town meant having major holidays off was rare. I was either working or on call at some point every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always worked Halloween and during our town’s Christmas and homecoming parades. Perhaps toughest of all, though, was Independence Day. Our little town is known for having a great 4th of July celebration and one of the best fireworks shows in the region. There are events throughout the day, including a parade, ending with a fireworks show that draws quite a crowd. This meant long hours for me every July 4th (usually at least 14 hours by the time our department directed traffic after the show to help everyone get home safely), often in sweltering heat.
While Amanda and I were sometimes able to spend a few minutes watching the fireworks together, I would occasionally have to leave her if duty called and I was always busy before and after the fireworks show. We had often wished that we could spend this holiday together without me being on duty and even talked about how nice that would be after I retired. I remembered these conversations when I began thinking about how and when I wanted to propose to her.
In 2011 Amanda and I had been together almost two years and I knew the time was right to ask her to marry me. I felt like it would be very special if I could propose to her on July 4th and spend our first evening as an engaged couple watching the fireworks together if I could get the evening off. I approached my boss with the idea and he happily agreed. I didn’t ask for the whole day off, however, because Amanda knew that I had always worked the 4th at this job and I didn’t want her to be suspicious.
When July 4th came, I went to work as usual, helping with the parade and with traffic duties for the afternoon events. That night, a little while before the fireworks were to begin, I came home to change clothes and surprised Amanda with the news that I had the rest of the night off. She was so excited! In our driveway, as we were about to get in the car to go out and watch the fireworks, I told her she had to solve a word scramble before we left. I gave her several little pieces of paper, each containing one letter, which would form the phrase “Will you marry me?” (I left out the ? to make it a bit less obvious haha). Still, it didn’t take her long to put it together and as she finished the phrase I dropped to a knee and asked her to marry me. After thinking for a while…….I’m only kidding lol…..she said yes right away!! This was a very special day for us and I hope you enjoyed reading our story.
Are you recently engaged? Congrats to you and your fiancé!! We’d love to hear your story and would be honored to serve many of you as we document your love stories with beautiful bright and airy photos!! If you are planning your 2020 or 2021 wedding contact us today as dates are booking quickly!
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