Motivational Monday | Annette’s Incredible “Message in a Bottle” Engagement

This week’s Motivational Monday is written by lovely WeddingMix bride-to-be, Annette. This Connecticut  bride shares the crazy romantic and creative way her fiancé, Josue, proposed to her one life-changing Monday on the beach. Annette is using WeddingMix together with an uh-mazing video produced by her cinematographer, MEB cinema, so she can include all her engagement, guest, and honeymoon videos in the final video!

I’ve been with my fiancé (Josue) for 2 years (this September) and from the day we met I knew in my heart I was going to marry him.

Last July, on a foggy, damp Monday, he decided to pop the question. I had just recently started a new job and one of my good friends messaged me wanting to take me out to celebrate my new job. She kept insisting that I go home to freshen up my makeup and change, but I kept saying no because then I wouldn’t want to go back out (At that time, she knew that he was going to propose and that my only request from her was that my face be made-up and pictures be taken).

On the way, we picked up 2 of our friends. The original plan was to go to a karaoke bar and sing up the new job, but  for some odd reason, one of my friends wanted to go take a dip in the ocean at Short Beach in Stratford where we live by. I found it strange because she’s not that much of a spontaneous person, so to decide make a detour to the beach was a bit weird to me. In any case, I went along with it — still with a wondering thought in my mind.

On the drive up to Short Beach we were sharing stories about old memories we’ve had and crazy things we’ve all done. I guess it was to keep me distracted and not think that this as a random change of plans.

Once we got to Short Beach, I saw fire engines and immediately I said “OH NO HE DIDN’T” in my head. I kept thinking Josue could NOT have gotten the police and fire trucks to block off the area to propose. I knew the proposal was coming, I just didn’t know when and where. I was expecting a weekend proposal, not a random Monday evening! I had been texting Josue and he wasn’t answering which was a bit fishy, but I kept thinking to myself: “Don’t get your hopes up Annette, don’t get your hopes up.”

We all got out of the car and starting walking towards the beach. For some reason, I began to tear up because I knew it was coming but not everything was adding up.

From afar I saw a car I thought belonged to a friend of mine and a guy standing by a tree with a radio at the side of his feet. When he turned around it was my friend’s son, Nathan. Nathan pressed play on his radio and began to dance a solo performance to a love song. I’m still crying and laughing to hide the fact that I was tearing up so that I wouldn’t look stupid if all of this wasn’t for me.

Once Nathan stopped dancing he walked over to me and said I have something for you and handed me a card. I opened it and inside was Josue’s handwriting that said: “I know you don’t know what’s going on now but you will soon, just follow the path and you will find out.” I started to shake because I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening to me.

I followed the boardwalk and my friend (very BAD rehearsed) said “OH LOOK, WHAT’S THIS ON THE FLOOR?” I picked up a glass vase that had a note inside. There were about 6 vases spread across the side of the boardwalk with notes in them leading to the next that had romantic things written in them, how Josue felt about me and more. The last note, at the very end, read “Look Up.” As soon as I looked up I saw him at the end of the boardwalk and a group of our closest friends and family around him.

As soon as I got to where he was he took out his phone and read the most beautiful letter I had ever heard (I still keep in my wallet). He knelt down on one knee and in front of our family and friends asked me to marry him. I was so excited that I didn’t even let him finish asking the question before I said yes and kissed him.

I always wondered what do you do when you have a proposal that involves more than just the 2 people, and I found out that day. We come from a Pentecostal background so once we got up we gathered in a circle and my mom prayed for us, for our engagement, and for our future. It was truly the biggest surprise I had ever received in my entire life and I was so happy that I was able to share it with the people we love the most.

We are getting married this year and it’s been one heck of an engagement ride and I’m loving every hectic and crazy moment of it!