"It was my sophomore year at Roanoke College, and the school year had started off pretty normal with new classes, training for basketball, and of course a few parties to kick off the year right! My focus on the year was to work as hard as I could to do well in my classes and to earn a starting spot on the Men's Varsity team, but never did I think that I'd end up meeting my soon to be wife. I remember first seeing Rachel walking around campus to class, and thinking, Wow, who is that super cute girl with the dark/redish hair?! I knew that she had to be a freshman, because I definitely would have noticed her before. I did not get a chance to say anything to her then, but I would soon find out that she was the roommate of one of my friends that attended high school with me. The scheming then began! I talked with my good friend Jamiel, who was also on the basketball team, about how we could get both of them out. The basketball team was having a little get together, so that seemed like the best opportunity to offer an invitation to hang out. We did our best to be the "big men" on campus, so how could they say no, right? Well, after a little bit of convincing, the girls accepted the invitation! Rachel was kind of quiet at first, and she also had a bit of an attitude, but there was also something pretty cute about it! I also found out that she was a "Georgia Peach," so for some reason that also worked in her favor! The night went on with everyone playing some games, and having a lot of fun, so by the end of the night I worked up the courage to ask Rachel for her number. We soon went on our first real date to Outback Steakhouse, where I found myself learning A LOT! First, was that she was not the most coordinated person in the world, as she tipped on the carpet and almost fell out of the door. And second, that I had started to fall in love with an extremely intelligent, gorgeous and caring girl! The rest was history after that date!"
"Paris, France is probably one of Rachel's favorite places in the world, so when I decided that it was the right time for me to propose, there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to ask her to be my wife. The only thing was, I knew NOTHING about Paris, and Rachel had already been there at least 5 times. I wanted everything to be as perfect as possible, so I did a little bit of research, as to the best places to go. Of course, Rachel had already been everywhere so this was quite difficult. I wanted to find somewhere quiet that we could just relax and talk, so the Luxembourg Gardens seemed like a nice spot. I didn't know that it was one of her favorite places in Paris, so when I later found that out, I was pretty happy! I suggested going there the 2nd day in Paris, because I did not want to ask her right away, but carrying the ring around made me pretty nervous. I kept patting my jacket to make sure that I still had the ring, so every time we stopped somewhere I just wanted to propose, so that I didn't lose it. I was able to make it through the first night with the ring safely put away, and the next morning came the "big day." We had a nice little breakfast early that morning, and then made our way through the garden. I don't even remember what we talked about while walking around because my mind was set on, where to ask, and what exactly do I want to say to her? We finally came upon a place that overlooked the LuxembourgPalace, and I started to think that was the perfect spot. My hands started shaking a little, and I found myself having an issue with getting the ring out of my pocket because I was pretty nervous. However, I managed to get the ring out, and began going into my little speech about how much I loved her. I got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me! Surprisingly, after 6 years, she said "YES!"
....and finally the big day arrives!
there was a little drama with zippers...
The bridesmaids pulled together and tackled those tricky zippers! Everything was smooth sailing after that.
Here comes the bride!
I'm sure you're probably wondering why Jared has that silly smile on his face when Rachel pulled out his ring. Rachel surprised Jared with the ring he really wanted, it was so sweet!
This is when I nodded at Michelle, will approval...and later told her that I hope I'm as hip as Jared's Mom is when I'm her age.
Ladies got ready at: The Hyatt in Crystal City
Venue: Indigo Landing, Alexandria VA
Photography; Lisa Marie & Michelle Repici of Sweet Tea Photography
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