Elizabeth & Carter’s Engagement

Elizabeth and Carter are a very special couple to us. Elizabeth and I have been good friends for about 7 years now, and I’ll never forget the night that we got together and knew that our lives had changed forever. We were having dinner and I told her that I had news and that I was pregnant. She told me she also had news, she had met someone, and was in love. I had never heard her speak those words about any other guy that she had dated so I knew this was someone very special. Well now our little girl is almost 10 months old, and Elizabeth is getting married next month! So exciting!

We had a great night shooting Elizabeth and Carter’s engagement pictures in Coolidge and Renaissance Park, including the very spot that Carter proposed to her. The laughed and smiled the whole time and it felt good to see my friend so happy.

How did you meet?
Carter and I first met at an in school inservice meeting. I noticed him, he noticed me…but neither of us talked to the other. It wasn’t until September when a mutual friend was invited to a Volunteer Football game by Carter and he had another ticket left, so she asked if she could invite me to! I said yes, of course, and I guess that was our first unofficial date.

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
I asked him out! We had been texting for over a month, and I couldn’t wait anymore. So, one night while out to dinner with my best friend, I sent him a text that said, “When are we going to hang out again?” He replied, “just let me know what works for you.”

Describe your proposal.
Carter and I were supposed to meet for a movie and Carter was late. I got to the movie with 10 minutes to spare and could not get a hold of Carter to talk to him. I kept texting and calling: no response. When he arrived, two minutes before the movie started, he apologized and said he was next door at the Sears and had left his phone in his car. I was like, whatever. He left to go get popcorn and sent me a text that said, “I’m so sorry baby! I wanted tonight to be special and I’ve messed it up.” I knew right then that this was the night. I quickly forgave him. On the drive to the restaurant after dinner, he wouldn’t hold my hand like he always did, or when he did touch my hand, he was rubbing it raw. We went to dinner at 212 Market and he was acting quite odd. I thought maybe he would ask me at dinner, but he didn’t. Then, he decided after dinner that we should go for a walk across the walking bridge and get ice cream at Clumpies, I agreed, all the while my feet were killing me in my heels. I expected him to ask me on the bridge, and he didn’t…So when we got to Clumpies, I thought, maybe here….but no. I told him my feet were hurting and I wanted to leave, but he asked if we could go on a walk. We walked to a bench at the Riverpark, and my phone went off as if I just received a text. I ignored it, he said, “Do you have your purse?” “Yes,” I replied…”Is your phone on?” “Yes.” Then he said, aren’t you going to check your phone? I reached into my purse, got my phone, opened it up to read my text, and he got down on his knee. Trying to shuffle between the text and Carter on his knee, I couldn’t read the text! I was all aflutter. He said, Will you marry me? And I said, “Really?” He said, yes. And I said, “Is this a joke?” He said no…I told him it would not be a very nice joke. And he said, I’m not going to ask again! So I said yes, he put the ring on my finger, we stood up and hugged and kissed :)

Were you surprised?
Not after clues I had received during the evening. I had expected it during an earlier vacation, but knew that night that it would happen.