Jordan & Billy | An Engagement Story at Sole Repair Shop, Seattle

for a couple of years now, you’ve seen the stories i’ve put up of my couples. about their love and their path to finding each other. telling love stories is what my job is all about. followers of jq photo know that’s what i love best about my job – telling peoples’ stories.
but this time, it’s about me and my billy and our love story. it’s about the eve of march 20th, 2013 which turned into the most incredible evening of my life. it’s about the tears of unmatched joy streaming from my face and billy being the reason for that joy. it’s about what he planned, how he executed, what went down. but mainly, it’s about us. about how we came to be. about fighting all odds. about falling in love when we didn’t even realize we were falling years ago. it’s about my dad telling my mom around that time that he knew i was going to marry billy someday. it’s about that night when billy called his mom at 2 am long before we were dating and asked, “mom what do i do? i think i’m falling in love with my best friend.”

it’s about our future together and all that’s to come. 

this is the good stuff, people. the really fantastic, melt your heart (but mainly mine) stuff.

 

// the story //

as many of you know, i’ve been traveling a ton for business. it’s played to billy’s advantage, because, let’s face it. i can sniff anything out as soon as it’s happening. i know now that billy used my time away to set up meetings with the incredible t anthony jewelers of seattle. billy’s dad gave him his grandmother’s ring over christmas when we were in pittsburgh. billy’s had it ever since, using the stone from it and creating another setting perfect for me. i can’t wait to thank them personally for the beauty they helped billy bring to life for my finger. ring, check.

the little schemer was also setting up meetings with the crew over at sole repair shop. it’s a private event space over on capital hill in seattle. industrial. mood lighting. perfect layout for his plans. very me.  it could not have been a more perfect spot. venue, check.

since being here, we’ve made friends with another couple from charlottesville who moved to seattle a little while ago. meredith and i became friends because we are both wedding photographers and instantly fell in love. the boys didn’t have a choice. billy called meredith up and asked her to pretend that she needed me to assist her for an engagement session with a seattle couple. she had me believing i was meeting her at sole repair shop to do the shoot there. genius. billy knows i would have never said no to a seattle photo session and he knew i would dress nice for the client. reason to be there, dress cute without him telling me to, and photographer, check check check.

so i show up. i walk in. and the second i do, “marry me” by train starts playing over the speakers in the entire room. i clearly knew then what was going on. one second i was gearing up mentally to meet a new couple. the next second, i knew i was getting engaged. surprise me to the point of no words, check.

there’s a note to me that reads “jo” on the front, just like billy always addresses me in every letter he writes to me. and it’s that little tiny tradition, that little bit of an endearing nickname, the one everyone calls me, that’s enough to give me chills when i see it. next to it, is the beginning of a giant red ribbon that simply says, “follow me” on it. so i do. with tears, check.

it’s a timeline of our story. with every bit of it written out all over the wall and through the room. hundreds of photos are pinned up of when we were younger. of our college days together when we were best friends. of our summer in dallas together right after college. of when we lived in chicago when everyone knew we loved each other but we just wouldn’t get together officially. of our past in chicago and present together here in seattle. heart & soul poured into creating something about us. major wow factor, check check. see for yourself.

i’m feeling it all at this point. he’s had me trace our story of past and present through the room and up a set of stairs to a balcony, to my future, all to the tune of “marry me.” i turn, full fledged sobbing mess and all. and he’s there behind me at the other end of the balcony. he’s sitting, leaned over, elbows on knees, crying and watching his girl walk through his story of us. and that right there is the most powerful moment i won’t ever forget. the entire affair, yes of course. but for me, the moment that no one else will ever see with their eyes except mine, that was it. my man, the one that NEVER cries, in tears of utter happiness. tears of recognition of how far we’ve come together, through the deepest of lows and highest of highs. he just hugs me and holds me for a bit, reminding me how much he loves me and kneels down to ask me. i never say a word the entire time i’m in that room until i say yes to him. loving me, holding me, kneeling down and asking me, all three checks.

and as we’re reveling in the moment, our song comes on- you send me by aretha franklin. “our song, babe!” “i know,” he says “i planned it like that.” of course he did. of course. and we dance, knowing the lyrics really ring true this time: ooh, it lasted so long, so long // now i find myself wanting you // i want you to marry me

 

// and if that wasn’t enough //

BILLY ARRANGED FOR OUR FAMILIES AND MY BEST FRIENDS TO BE THERE! the day before, billy was asking me about go to meeting and if i had ever used it for online presentations at my marketing jobs. we chatted about it while he was at work and now i know that he was researching a way for all of them to watch me from his computer as i walked through the story of us. i had no idea of course, i thought the computer just had the music coming from it when i saw it in the corner of the room. but they got to be there. and all of us from all over the country- florida, maryland, kansas city, pittsburgh, north carolina, dallas- we all got to experience it together. and cry together apparently. you gotta really love technology. i mean, really. COOLEST THING EVER! good lord, that man. find a way to share the moment with our nearest & dearest, check freakin check.

you can watch a spotty video of them watching me and wiping their noses (and christin’s background texting noises) here. i adore jenna’s goofy grin and christin’s comments like i’m on an episode of the bachelor(ette). there’s also a video of me realizing they were there the whole time just seconds after we got engaged here! FREAKING OUT. my bestie, christin recorded it on her phone from her home in florida, cause that’s what bffs do. nothing too fancy. but you get to see me as a blubbering fool.

meredith and her fiance kevin show up and after i give her a rough time for lying to me so much, we take some photos. cause the light’s awesome outside. duh. but as a wedding photographer myself, i sort of flail in front of the camera- something i’m gonna have to put on lockdown in the next few months here. although, normal always-behind-the-camera behavior, i’m sure. love some of the images she captured of us right after our special moment, puffy eyes, geeky smiles, kisses and all.

 

and oh yeah, that perfect, perfect ring that i look at every 4.3 seconds, on average.

*and for daddy from his little girl – like i always said every single night as a little girl “goodnight daddy, when i wake up tomorrow it will be a surprise.” for a girl who’s always sworn by surprises and waited upon them daily- this was the greatest of all. all the boxes, checked. everything i dreamed of as that little girl and more, check. i found him, daddy. i found him, mom. i found him, kyle. i found him, girls. his name’s billy and i’m gonna marry him.

thanks for reading. thanks for sharing in our joy. we truly couldn’t be happier. because happy is what happens when all of your dreams come true.