We're Engaged! — THE ACCESSORIST

Remember when I said we were going to meet Chris's former coworker for drinks last Friday night?

WE GOT ENGAGED INSTEAD!

SHOP MY LOOK: Earrings | Sweater Dress | Initial Necklace | Crossbody Bag | Ankle Boots

Here's how it went down. We had plans (so I thought) on Friday night to meet Chris's former coworker, "in from Seattle," at Kieran's downtown for drinks. I washed my hair (a rare event I'm patting myself on the back for) and asked Chris for his opinion on what to wear, which I rarely do. He didn't let on at all that I might be dressing for a significant night and said something sarcastic about how much that choice mattered to him. I chose a simple black sweater dress and we headed downtown. I noticed a lot of our favorite, couple-y songs were playing as we headed east on 394, but didn't think anything of it.

After we parked, Chris nonchalantly said "Change of plans—we're going to Brothers instead." Brothers is the bar where we first met before our work holiday party at The Pourhouse two years ago. I made a reference to that night, something like "Ohh, I don't think we've been there since we first met!" But I didn't realize it was THIS Friday night exactly (the first Friday in December) that we met, and Chris brushed it off. And while I thought it was fun to return to a place where we had history, I had no suspicions of a proposal happening.

We talked as we walked the few blocks to Brothers—I can't remember what about—and then when we got to the corner of 1st Avenue and 5th Street, Chris stopped and kind of pulled me to the side. I was distracted because it looked like there was a holiday bar crawl happening at Brothers and I was noticing how many people dressed in ugly sweaters were crowding the bar. He started talking about the significance of the corner where we were standing. "So this is where I was when I saw you get out of that Uber two years ago," he said. (He recognized me from work, but didn't know who I was and was apparently excited to see that we were going to the same place that night.) "... and it was about two years ago that I decided I was going to do this.." Before I could process what was happening, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And I said YES!

I was completely surprised! It felt so weird—GOOD weird—for a moment I had thought a lot about happening to actually be happening. We hadn't looked at rings together or talked about when we would get engaged, so I had no expectations for this Friday night.

"So, those guys inside all know what's happening," Chris said after a few minutes just soaking up the moment—so I was still expecting to see his coworker and a group of his random friends when we walked inside Brothers—but as we crossed the bar, people started yelling and clapping and cheering. I saw my mom, then Chris's sister, and slowly realized all of our family members and close friends from Minneapolis were there to celebrate with us. It was amazing. I thought my older sister had flown back home to Denver after Thanksgiving days ago, but she had been hiding out at my mom's house the whole week! It was so unbelievably perfect to have my sisters and parents there, and I'm so happy and impressed Chris planned it that way. I had always imagined having an engagement party, and having the people closest to us there that night was kind of like having a mini one!

A server swooped in and handed us shots, which was a fun way to kick off the evening (see the video here!). After a few drinks, lots of pictures and lots of showing off my ring, we had dinner with the whole crew at Pizza Luce, then finished the night with a few friends at Clockwerks Brewing.

The rest of the weekend was equally sweet. We went to brunch while the ring got appraised on Saturday morning then did some casual holiday shopping. I sneaked out for an hour in the afternoon to get my nails done and call some friends, then that evening, we went out for a drink and a bite just the two of us—which felt so special and perfect—before a friend's surprise 30th birthday. On Sunday, we set up the mini Christmas tree my future sister-in-law gave us (Christmas has arrived in our apartment!) and shamelessly drank mimosas, watched football and re-lived the whole weekend.

Chris and I were kind of attached at the hip after meeting that night at Brothers—even that night, actually. When he first walked in, I immediately thought he was good-looking and checked to see if he was wearing a wedding ring (it seemed the good ones were always taken!). He was wearing a gray blazer and classic white Chuck Taylor high tops, which seemed mature but playful. I remember mingling with other people at the party and trying not to seem too eager, but always wondering where he was in the crowd. And he jokes that he was like a little puppy following me around all night. I particularly remember playing hammerschlagen, huddled close together, flirting on the dance floor, and then waiting for an Uber at bar close wrapped up in his arms. A night that came full circle two years later.

We don't have any details about the wedding figured out yet, but it's safe to say 2018 will be a big year! At the risk of sounding cliche, I can't wait to marry my best friend!

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