Our Story: A Brunch Engagement

It’s the month of love, so of course, I’m writing about it.

I wrote the paragraphs below for our wedding website in 2021, only available to those who celebrated with us on our wedding day. I realized I can’t hold onto that website forever - Zola will probably take it down at some point - and I want our story to exist somewhere I can find it again. I also want to share it with others - and what better release time than February!

So if you don’t know us, or even if you do, and you’re curious about how Tucker and I ended up together and engaged, please enjoy our cheesy, brief little love story, aptly titled, “That Summer Camp Love,” followed by our proposal story. I have not edited this since 2021, so don’t judge me too harshly; it’s strangely written in 3rd person, sorry about that. I was (still am) in love and positively theatrical.

That Summer Camp Love

SOMETHING ABOUT THAT SUMMERTIME LOVE

Tucker and Kayley met at Summit Ministries in 2016. They both worked as staffers in Dayton and Jackson, TN, over the years. Talk about a slow burn.

The summer they fell for each other is full of wonderful memories - shortly after their time together, Tucker asked Kayley on a date. They began dating long distance. Kayley finished her final year of undergrad in Tulsa and then lived a year in Kansas City. Tucker stayed in Chattanooga. After they said "I love you” for the first time, Tucker asked, "Want me to move to Kansas?" Kayley replied, "Heck no, I'm coming to you." She moved to Chatt in August 2020 and they spent the next year enjoying life in the same city, going to church together, and building a community they're so excited to be married in.

The Proposal

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Tucker's original plan was to surprise Kayley with a picnic on Sunset Rock one Sunday after church. But of course, things rarely go according to plan. When Kayley decided to take off work the Friday before, Tucker seized his opportunity. He asked Kayley to brunch after her morning plans.

It's always brunch. Kayley and Tucker love brunch. It's the best meal of the day.

Kayley agreed and that Friday morning, after Kayley left for her morning plans, Tucker decided to head to the store for fresh flowers and some last-minute details. He planned to tell Kayley his “car broke down somewhere near Sunset Rock" and that she'd need to pick him up. He planned to set up a beautiful picnic on the rock and surprise her there.

Tucker wasn't nervous until minutes after Kayley left their complex parking lot. (They lived two doors down from each other.) He got into his car and...it didn't start. He tried again. Nothing. To top it off, the weather wasn’t exactly picnic weather...cold and windy, threats of rain.

Okay, time for a new plan. Tucker called his brother to finish the grocery run and nixed the Sunset Rock idea. He decided to set up the picnic in Kayley's apartment.

He created a beautiful spread of brunch foods - omelets, bagels, a charcuterie board, sparkling cider - all on a yellow checkered blanket, surrounded by yellow and white flowers. He even had a yellow velvet ring box custom-made. If you haven't guessed, Kayley loves the color yellow, especially on cold, rainy days. Then he waited.

Kayley called after her morning plans to get a sense of the brunch plan. She, of course, was very excited about brunch. Tucker began to worry if she'd be disappointed that they weren't actually going to brunch.

The Moment He Asked

BETTER THAN BRUNCH

Kayley headed back up the mountain, fully expecting Tucker to be waiting in her living room, dressed and ready for brunch. He'd told her his roommate was streaming at his place, so to come straight to hers, since he'd be waiting there.

She took her time heading up the mountain, completely unaware. She even stopped to talk to her neighbors and walked into her apartment talking about something - Kayley is always talking about something.

But before she could finish her sentence, she saw Tucker standing next to the most gorgeous indoor picnic. He'd even taken some of the yellow petals and sprinkled them around the blanket of all her favorite brunch foods.

It wasn't Sunset Rock, but there was something extra special about Tucker proposing in the first home they'd share together. Before she could say anything else, Tucker bent down on one knee, revealed the most gorgeous ring, and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said yes!

And then, they brunched.

And now, enjoy our engagement photos, which I also wanted to keep somewhere other than my google drive. ;)