The Proposal

Charlie determined he wanted to propose eight months before it occurred. 

Elina suspected a proposal from him in the early stages, and though she wasn’t sure when it would happen, she knew her answer. Waiting on Charlie to finally ask, drove her a little crazy. She just couldn't wait for this next step to begin. After a couple months had passed, Elina conceded that his unusual, secretive behavior was him planning a fun trip instead. Her anticipation of a proposal waned, but she got excited at the idea of a fun trip. She knew it would be a big one, otherwise Charlie wouldn’t be so secretive. Time would tell.

Charlie knew Elina wanted a surprise proposal; they had talked about it before. He figured the only way he could truly catch Elina off guard and avoid suspicion was to propose on their date to celebrate their two year anniversary. 

The plan was charming. Charlie told Elina that he would be taking her to the Marcus Whitman, a notoriously fancy restaurant in Walla Walla, and then they’d go out for dessert. Other details would be a surprise. The restaurant choice was important for Elina to know because he knew she would try and look her best (and that she would want to look her best at her eventual proposal). Charlie borrowed a friends’ Mercedes-Benz, picked up a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and surprised Elina at her front door. Charlie was being classy and taking Elina on a proper date. Their first stop was just as Charlie previously informed. Though the restaurant ended up being too fancy for her taste, Elina felt special and was thrilled to be trying a new place with her beloved. They didn’t eat much and were still hungry, so they went to El Sombrero, a safe favorite. After that, they made a stop at Ross to pick up a belt. They now laugh about how Charlie forgot his belt on this particularly noteworthy day. And though Elina didn’t understand at the time why it was so important to pick up the belt before they went back out, she now loves looking back at how “like them” the date was going. Charlie then mentioned that he forgot to pick up an important thing he needed for their date from Brant Berglin.

So, they traveled to Berglin’s home. Elina’s suspicions of a proposal returned and she became jittery. She couldn’t believe it was happening. She was coaxed into the backyard where there was a beautiful setup with music, candles, a scrapbook, a video, and dessert. Elina didn’t know it yet, but Charlie’s friend Cedric traveled from North Carolina to capture this moment in time. Autumn and a couple others were also hidden away, wanting to witness this moment but keep it private. Charlie and Elina listened to Charlie’s pre-recorded proposal speech which led to looking through the scrapbook Charlie and Autumn had put together beforehand. The last page of the scrapbook instructed Elina to turn around and dutifully she did. Charlie, on one knee, asked: 

“Would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” 

“Of course!”

Pictures and an afterparty including friends and family followed. 

All this time it was only a matter of time…and now the time is finally here!