Ahh!!! We Are Engaged!!!!

If Cloud 9 had a penthouse, I would be the happiest woman in the room!!!

Oh my gosh! Where do I begin? :)
It all started last August when Gavin and I knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. We decided in September to start our photography business together and when Gavin told his Dad the news about our new direction he said “Son, you can’t go asking Erin to start a business with her with no future plans. And Gavin’s quick response to his father was, “Dad, I can’t imagine my life with anyone else!”

And so months go by and we start talking about it more and more. And I started being a typical girl and hoping it would be any day we spent together. And because I am a big time analyzer... Gav had to pull a big surprise and try to catch me off guard.

In February, we went to go look at rings to just see what was out there...and I picked the ring i wanted within 10 minutes... nothing else compared to it. Any other ring the lady showed me I went straight back to the one my heart was set on. And so I got really anxious about the proposal from that point. I wanted that ring on my finger right after we picked it! ;)
  Months go by, and still no ring.... I wasn’t doing to well, Lol.  I know a lot of girls can relate to me with this one. I just kept on saying to myself, “What is taking this boy so long? We know we want to get married at the end of this year and the days are going by.” 

Well, Gavin at this point had been planning this proposal for a couple months and he wanted it to be amazing (which it was), so that means he had to do a few things,... He started thinking that I might catch onto his plan, so he wanted to make sure I had no idea. He knew that to get me to a place where that ring seemed months away he would need to get a bit devious. Gavin’s harsh (but totally necessary) idea was to make me so mad at him that it would throw me off guard. (Unbeknownst to him, I cried for several days leading up to his proposal). He started saying crazy things like “We don’t really have a lot of money right now, I just have a lot on my mind, and there is a lot of pressure surrounding this.” And I was so confused and frustrated with him (which was his plan ;) ). But then he realized that he needed to start making things better if he wanted to propose to me in the next couple of days (his plan worked a little too well, haha). So he pulled out all the stops; bought me flowers, apologized that his seemingly un-committal remarks were so blunt, and basically was kissing my butt at the start of this weekend; which I quietly allowed him to do. :)

So I slowly started to forgive him and woke up on Sunday and said to myself “Today is going to be a good day.” We had breakfast together and than went to church. Afterwards, we went to the mall and I was shopping for a dress that I found on a woman from a wedding we shot the night before. I found out where she got it and tried it on and fell in love with it. And Gavin casually said , “I want to buy you that dress.” And I thought that was so nice of him, but still didn’t think anything of it because I thought he was still trying to make up for all that he did the past week. And he asked me to put it on, because we were going to shot a engagement session later that afternoon (which was another lie) and he wanted me to wear it during the shoot. So than I told him i wanted to treat him to something since he was so thoughtful, so we found a nice 7 Diamond button-up shirt (Ironic, I know!) for him to wear for our shoot as well! Needless to say, both of us left the mall in style. :)

He then took me to one of my favorite Japanese sushi restaurants; I was in heaven! After stopping by and looking at a gorgeous apartment/studio, our next destination was Yogertland... and if you know me... you know that I make Gavin go there at least twice a week. This already was turning into one of the best days we’ve had together in a long while! All that was left was our engagement session, so we headed down to Salt Creek Beach and prepared to have a great time with our couple. However, Gavin got a phone call from our bride (it was really his dad) and supposedly she had to cancel the e-session because they were stuck in traffic. Needless to say, I was bummed we weren’t going to shoot! Yet still cool as a cucumber, Gavin said, “since we’re here why don’t we take advantage of it and walk along the beach? But first, I want to take you somewhere.” So he walked me into The Ritz Carlton and we made our way out onto this gorgeous balcony decorated with comfy couches overlooking a breath-taking view of the ocean. Champagne in hand, Gavin and I toasted to a wonderful day and gave thanks for everything in our lives! Later I came to find out that Gavin was a nervous wreck! He constantly had his hand on the ring in his pocket, while trying his best not to shake too visibly as to spill his champagne!

So after our drinks, we made our way down to the ocean and walked along the beach. After a minute or two, Gav stopped me on the lawn where we had our first date 15 months ago! (Little did i know Mike Colon was hiding in a tree a hundred feet away and Ray Santana was in between a couple sitting in lounge chairs further up the hill!). We relaxed on the hill at first, laying down for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery....then he oddly just asked me to stand up as if we were preparing to leave. But first, he took me into his arms, looked deep into my eyes and began to say all these amazing things about me; telling me how much he loved me and how he never wanted to go another day without knowing I won’t be there. Having secretly taken the ring already out of his pocket, he looked into my eyes, and slowly dropped down onto one knee....“Erin Michelle Kline...will you marry me?”

In such utter shock and elation, I instantly fell down on my knees, my eyes filling with tears...I started crying....and as he put the ring on my finger I said yes!!!!!! The ring is amazing!! Gavin majorly upgraded the ring I originally fell in love with, having it custom made with over 23 diamonds...so beautiful!! Gavin couldn’t stop smiling and telling me how much he loved me as he brushed away my tears of joy. I’ve never been so happy and no moment has ever been so perfect as this :)

At this point, our camouflaged photogs emerged from their hiding places, documenting every second of my realization that we had pictures of everything that just happened!!! (Something I had ALWAYS wanted from day one) I look up and see Ray standing up, a huge smile on his face as he’s firing away, I couldn’t believe it! THEN, Gavin pointed me to another direction and I could not believe it, Mike Colon was there too!! He came out from behind the trees, grinning from ear to ear; I couldn’t believe they were there and got everything! I was so overwhelmed and indescribably overjoyed :)

But we weren’t done yet! Mike and Ray were kind enough to give more of their time so we went down to the sand and did an hour long post-engagement session!!! Talk about having a dream team of photographers; a girl couldn't ask for a better E-session!!!

After having a the most amazingly-awesome engagement session ever, all four of us walked back up the hill to our cars and headed to Gavin’s house, where I thought both his and my parents were waiting for us to have dinner. But Gavin wasn’t done yet people! The moment we pulled in, he and I rushed into the family room where our parents were sitting and announced we were engaged!! We hugged, we laughed, and I probably talked a million miles an hour! But before I could tell the whole story, Gavin’s dad said we needed to properly celebrate with more champagne and we all walked around the corner into the family room.... and standing there were a ton of my and Gavin’s closest friends and family!! Gavin surprised me with a party!!!

“CONGRATULATIONS!!!!” everyone yelled!!

I could not believe it!! I squealed and cheered as my eyes wandered around the room of 35 people to see the faces of those who I love most in this world; some of whom came from as far as Arizona just to be there! (No wonder none of my friends answered their phones when I called them on our way home from the beach....they were standing in the family room waiting for me to get home!!!!) Gavin had secretly been planning this for weeks and made sure it was a surprise until the very end!

We went and hugged everyone around the room and proceeded to have an amazing night with some of our dearest friends! It was a night filled with eloquent toasts, tearful blessings, heart-felt prayers, and even a little California earthquake shook things up too!

I couldn’t have asked for more! These are memories that Gavin and I will hold on to forever! Having him get down on one knee and asking me to spend the rest my life with him was indescribable, nothing like I could ever imagine.  I love him so much and God has blessed me with an amazing man! :)
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it there on our special day! It meant more to us than you will every know!

Now on to the pictures!! Again, an enormous “Thank you” to our dear friends and mentors Mike Colon and Ray Santana for being there to help us capture moments we will never want to forget. We love you guys!!