I’m so excited to introduce you to Julia, our newest DW Bride Blogger. As Sarah Christine continues to finalize her wedding details, Julia is going to start updating us on her wedding planning process, beginning today!
I’ll let Julia tell you more about herself, but I just wanted to say that I am SO thrilled to receive so many Bride Blogger requests. If you are planning a wedding and would like to share your updates with us, let me know and I’ll do my best to work you into our rotation! We’d love to hear about your plans!
Here’s Julia…
Hi District Wedding Brides! I’m really excited to guest blog about my wedding planning experience and will hopefully be able to give you some insight for planning a fabulous DC wedding.
Let me first give you a little bit about my background: I’ve been playing the viola since I was 9 years old, so in all, I’ve been playing for almost 20 years now. It feels like my whole life and honestly, if I didn’t play, I’m not sure I would feel like “me.” It’s that big of a part of me.
In college, I met some fellow students/alumni that played gigs around town and they asked me to join them. From there, the rest is history. We built “a few gigs around town” to a thriving business (The Cherry Blossom String Quartet). Over the past 10 years we’ve played about 600 events. So, let’s just say, I was ready to be a bride.
So, how did my fiance (Chris) and I meet? We actually met on Facebook! Back in 2006, when Facebook was still brand new, they gave you the ability to search for new friends. There was a button called “social net” and if you pressed it, 10 people from your network, or geographic area, would pop up. You could then take a look at their profile and see if you wanted to make a new friend.
One day, Chris pressed the button, I came up as the #1 person, he looked at my profile and emailed me. I didn’t even want to sign up for Facebook (about 3 months prior), but my sister was tired of getting emails from my friends looking for me. What luck, right?!
I emailed Chris back and we emailed furiously back and forth for the next 3 days. We finally had our first date, which lasted 12 hours. It started with the Museum of Art downtown, went to see the Cherry Blossoms, went to lunch back in VA, went to pick up his dog at his parent’s house (who I met) and then watched 2 movies. I guess you could say it was love at first sight. From that moment, we have been inseparable.
So, how did we get engaged? Chris and I had talked about being engaged around our 3 year-anniversary of dating. Here is the story. Sorry, its a long one!
During the summer last year, my mother inherited my grandmother’s jewelry, as she had to be put into a memory care facility (due to Alzheimer’s). Inside my grandmother’s safe was her sister’s engagement ring. My grandmother’s sister, Sarah, was older by almost 20 years, so she took care of my grandmother. So, she was very close to my mother and to me. She was an artist. Her entire basement was filled with vases, paintings, lampshades, you name it. She decorated them all. I’d like to think that in that way, we are connected; both artists.
Sarah married Connie, who was quite well-off after the Great Depression. So, her ring was exquisite. A Victorian ring from around 1920/30s in Platinum. When I saw it, Chris and I hadn’t had “the talk” so I just look at it in awe. It wasn’t until the holidays that I started to think that maybe my mother would be willing to give us the ring for me to wear.
My mother did agree. And then the whole family was involved, well, except me. Chris went shopping, unbeknown to me, and picked out the ring. He told me it would probably not be ready by our 3 year anniversary. Of course, that was just so he could buy some time. He was planning an engagement party for after he proposed. He invited our families and friends and arranged for my best friend to fly from Denver.
The actual proposal happened before lunchtime. Chris got back from coaching a little league football game and asked me to help him plant flowers. I really thought he was kidding. I had gluttonly spent the entire morning in bed curled up watching TV, so I slumped downstairs to help. But, very reluctantly.
As I pulled one of the purple flowers (my favorite colors) out of the plastic holder, attached was a ribbon with a pouch. Inside, was my ring. I honestly can’t remember that moment anymore. I think it was because I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. He asked me to marry him and I turned around to see his friend videotaping the whole thing! And that’s how this whole thing began…
THANKS, Julia! Your story is so darling, and we’re so excited to hear about your wedding planning process! Julia and Chris are planning a January 2010 wedding, so we have six months of updates to look forward to! Can’t wait!
