Leslie and Ross are getting married!
I could not be more thrilled for them. They truly are the perfect match and every part of me is beyond excited for their wedding day!
For those of you who may be new to the blog, Ross is actually one of Ryan’s best friends from college. He was even a groomsman in our wedding and popped up on the blog many times before he started dating Leslie. I met Ross through Ryan and he quickly became a good friend of mine when I was a freshman in college. I’ve known him for nearly 10 years and think the world of him. (Fun fact: When Leslie and Ross started dating, “Ross” became the number one search term on my blog for a solid month!)
Ross and Leslie started dating the year after our wedding and from the moment my sister told me about their first date, I had a feeling they stumbled upon something really special. I could tell there was something different and unique about their relationship and I was excited to watch it grow. As they continued dating, it was apparent to everyone around them that their love was the real deal. They were caring and affectionate. Patient and fun-loving. A great match!
A couple of weeks ago, Ross let me and my family in on his plans to propose. We were thrilled! After hearing Leslie and Ross tell the story of the proposal, it sounds like it was absolutely amazing! I’m so glad our family could be a part of the surprise at the end of the day! But let’s back up to the beginning…
The Proposal
Early last week, Ross had one of his coworkers email him, telling him he needed to come into work for a few hours on the 4th of July. He forwarded the email to Leslie with a sad face in the email body, but told her they’d do something fun to make up for it and to be ready around noon.
Well, that was all a ruse! Ross really set his alarm for 6 a.m. on the 4th of July, drove to St. Augustine, walked more than a mile down a secluded beach and set up a little picnic spot for them to visit later.
In the early afternoon, they got together and drove back down to St. Augustine to spend the day by the water.
First up was kayaking!
Then they rode beach cruisers along the beach, looking for a spot to stop to eat. After they had been riding for a while, Leslie said they should pick a spot and Ross joked that they should hijack some random peoples’ stuff. When he went to sit in their chairs, Leslie said they couldn’t really takeover someone’s picnic and that’s when Ross explained that he set it up for them earlier that day.
She was shocked and said she thought it was so sweet!
Not long after that, on the secluded beach, Ross told Leslie he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and that he wanted the rest of his life to start right at that moment. (Yes, I cried when he told this part of the story to me!)
She was shocked and so, so excited! Leslie said her mind was racing and that she can’t remember most of what Ross said when he proposed! She remembers him getting down on one knee and feeling so surprised when she saw the ring, but her thoughts were moving a mile a minute.
That picture of her makes me smile so big. Pure joy!
The surprises didn’t stop there! Ross planned for a captain to meet them in St. Augustine and take them for a romantic 60-minute boat cruise following the proposal.
The boat took them all around St. Augustine.
Everyone was out and about to check out the 4th of July fireworks!
The cruise then dropped them off at Cap’s on the Water, the restaurant where they had their first date.
And that’s where we came in! Ross had his mom and our family waiting at the restaurant to surprise Leslie when they arrived!
We got there about 40 minutes early and anxiously sipped on mojitos as we waited for them to arrive.
Once I spotted their boat in the distance, I started freaking out. Luckily the other people dining outside at Cap’s were really into the proposal as well and didn’t mind me popping in beside their tables to snap some pictures as the captain docked their boat.
Heeeere they come!
Surprise!!!
Leslie was absolutely shocked that we were all in on the big surprise and she said that she was so happy Ross thought to include our family in their special day.
We all agreed that we felt honored to share such a special moment with Leslie and Ross. My dad ordered two bottles of champagne for the table and we made sure to toast to the newly engaged couple!
After Leslie and Ross took us through their whole proposal story, we ordered dinner and more drinks and had a great time celebrating their engagement and the 4th of July!
It was the perfect 4th of July.
Congratulations to Ross and Leslie!!!
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How awesome!! What a great day for Leslie and Ross!! Congratulations all around! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh my gosh!! SO exciting!! Love it all <3 Great proposal!
Adorable! It’s hard to beat a good proposal story, and this put a smile on my face! As a newlywed I remember pre-wedding excitement 🙂 It’s so much fun!!
Wow great! Congratulations 🙂
OMG, so awesome!! Congrats Ross and Leslie!
Love that he included your family in the engagement plans!
Where did you guys get those sunglasses?!
Such an exciting time for your sister! And lucky you to get to be a part of it!! I am getting married in 4 weeks, so my engagement period is coming to an end. Reading your post made me almost teary-eyed…excited for her and slightly jealous because being engaged has been a wonderful time of my life. I wish your sister a blessed engagement and wedding planning. She’s lucky to have a sister like you to be by her side for help and advice!
AWE! I love the whole proposal!! Congratulations to your whole family!!! Love it!!
Congratulations to them! That is soooo sweet!
Love! Thanks for the recap and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
AW YAY!! I feel like I know Leslie… (creepyblogstalker) Congratulations to her and Ross! 🙂
Oh my gosh I’m tearing up literally…so sweet. The way you describe it makes it clear they are the real thing. Congrats to the two of them!!
Congrats!! How exciting! They look so happy! 🙂
Yay! I am getting married in 8 weeks and couldn’t help but smile for her! I LOVE how some things are just MEANT TO BE! Congrats to her… They look very happy! 🙂
Congrats to your sister! What a great proposal!
Congrats to them. What an awesome little proposal!!!
Congrats to Leslie and Ross!!! Great proposal and well thought out! Love the family involvement! Now the fun of planning begins!
Love your blog too and look forward to it everyday!
This is the best engagement story ever. Ross was so thoughtful and your sister looks thrilled beyond words. Congrats to the happy couple!
Awww, I’m beaming from ear to ear. What a sweet story for a sweet couple!
Catching up on the blog from the holiday and I just saw this!!!!! SO excited for them! To be honest, me and my best friend (who BOTH got married this year) who both read the blog have been talking about this for a LONG time! haha we would be like “when do you think Ross and Leslie will get engaged?!” We thought for sure when you went on your family trip to the Galapagos! (but that would have been too predictable, good job Ross!) Congrats to them!
I love that proposal so much, so sweet and well thought out! And Leslie is just radiant! Congrats to the both of them!
Awww what a great story!! I’m so happy for them, and for your entire family!! Congrats to Ross & Leslie!!
LOVE!!! Congratulations to Leslie and Ross! What a perfect proposal!
Wonderful news!!
I have been following your blog for just over a year now, and I have been WONDERING when Ross and Leslie would be engaged! I am so excited for them, and your family. Woo Hoo!
Oh, and we PBF lovers need a close-up shot of that ring!! ;o)
ring shot ring shot!!! so exciting! cant wait to hear all about the planning! 🙂 🙂
what a CUTE story!! thanks for sharing. can’t wait to hear about the wedding!!
Congrats to Leslie and Ross!!!! They are such an adorable couple and seem like great, fun-loving people – just like you and Ryan.
It seems like just yesterday they started dating…but then I clicked on a link about your wedding and you’ve been married almost 3 years….it feels like you just posted about it a few weeks ago! lol!
I am so excited for them. What a wonderful day!
this was such a nice post! Congrats and God bless to all involved!
Oh my gosh, this is the BEST story! I just teared up and I don’t even know them!! How sweet!
WOW great news, congrats to both, so lucky you found each other.
oh my goodness cutest story! Congrats to your sister and her fiancé
Hi are you making any new posts?
cheers, Jen