Sarah + Mitchell | Puna Intimate Wedding on the Big Island,HAWAII
Sarah and Mitchell have the cutest engagement story and the world needs to know it. So from Mitchell’s own words, here it is :
Our engagement story was one of the most memorable parts of our relationship. It all started on a weekend trip to Tulsa, OK. I can’t even remember why we went there at this point, but we decided to go by the mall over there since it’s much larger than the one in our hometown. Per usual, I saw we there was a jewelry store coming up on our right as we were going to the next store, and I go to lift Sarah and carry her past the store. However, this time, luck was on her side, and I had to set her down because I accidentally had my wrist too tight against her rib cage.
When I set her down, I did so exactly as we were in front of the tanzanite section which just so happens to be her favorite stone. She darts over and starts looking at all the jewelry and one ring had caught her eye. The jewelry rep had clearly noticed the looked in her eye and asked quickly if she’d like to try anything on and of course she did. She absolutely loved it but kind of future husband would I be if I just bought the ring and gave it to her right then.
On the following weekend back in Arkansas, we went to another mall that also had a Helzberg and after talking to someone there. They ordered in a ring just like it so we could check it out again. At this point, I already knew this is the ring Sarah wanted but I didn’t want her to be involved in the process and ruin the surprise, so I had to play this situation right. I received a call once the ring arrived and went to make sure it was perfect. For those unfamiliar with tanzanite, the stones can vary greatly, and can vary from a dark blue to a light purple with Sarah’s preference being the latter.
After some research I decided to have the store get some more inventory of the same ring so I could pick from a lineup to determine which one Sarah would like the most. Meanwhile, it had been nearly two weeks and Sarah started to wonder why we hadn’t heard back from Helzberg on the ring arriving. With a little fib, I told her that the ring wasn’t available that they ordered so they were trying to get one from another store hoping to buy some more time. She was disappointed but I also reiterated the fact that she still had a semester left in her master’s program and maybe we should hold off until once she finished.
Another week passes and she asks again about the ring, this time I had a little bit more mischievous plan in place. I went to their website and modified the source code to show that the ring was out of stock to hopefully delay her postpone her interest. This worked but I kept getting “caught” looking at other rings at my computer so she would still have a little hint about our impending engagement. As the holidays neared, I had a couple of other fun things planned.
First, I had our friend Nicole get together with Sarah before Christmas so they could get their nails done. I knew this was important to Sarah and the icing on the cake is when returning home from visiting Sarah’s parents, she made a comment along the lines of, “I know we aren’t able to afford an engagement/wedding now, but you should have Nicole plan a day to get nails done before getting engaged. I was elated!
Second, I kept hyping up how excited Sarah would be for her Christmas present but refused to give her any hints. She had a strong feeling that I was going to propose, but again, I wanted it to be a surprise. So, my aunt “accidentally” mentioned the stay I had planned for us in a yurt after Christmas which allegedly was the big surprise I had been keeping. This completely threw her off, but she was still excited for our weekend getaway.
After several hijinks, we were finally on our way out to the yurt and as we’re arriving, Sarah makes a comment about how beautiful the place is, and it would be an amazing place to get engaged. Then she chimes in with, “I know, it doesn’t make sense to get engaged yet because we need to save.” About 15 minutes later, we’re unloading all our stuff from the car, and I purposely leave the champagne flutes behind so I can send her back to get them.
Once outside and at the car, I call her from inside the yurt. For months, I also called her and would say, “I just want to give you a ring”, so I do it once more because it made her giddy. This time, she just laughed it off because she just walked outside. As she’s walking back, I queue up Perfect by Ed Sheeran and get down on one knee. As she walks in the door, I say, “I just want to give you a ring” to which I’m greeted with Sarah jumping into my arms gleefully yelling “Really?!?!?”, and that’s our engagement story.
Venue : https://www.punarainforestretreat.com
Catering : https://www.heartbeetfoods.com
ALOHA
Aloha! I’m Bea, aka TheWanderingB! I am a traveling adventure photographer based ion the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. I love exploring with my couples and capturing their emotions as we trek through the valleys or a quiet stroll on a remote beach whether it be on Big Island, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, Oahu & beyond! I pride myself in specializing in adventure elopements, intimate weddings, adventure couple’s session, engagements, proposals, honeymoons, or just photographing some fun lovers! So if you are a couple seeking an adventure photographer and desiring someone to capture your raw and intimate love story, click HERE to access my booking request form!
ALOHA!
I’m Bea, aka TheWanderingB! I am a traveling wedding photographer based in beautiful Colorado Springs, COLORADO.
