Ring before spring? Meet Jaqueline, our first college girly who is currently engaged. Learn how this Baylor Bear prepares for marriage while juggling college in the article below!
Birthday: May 14th, 1996
School: Baylor University
Graduating: December 2017
Major: Journalism-Public Relations Major
What organizations are you involved in?
I am involved in BaylorVision, a sports production division under Baylor Athletics.
When and how did y’all meet?
I met my fiancé within the first month I came to school. My friends and I were going to dinner together at the dining hall. One of my friends was his roommate, who had been trying to get him to come have fun with us for a while. He was on the baseball team at this point and didn’t have much time to relax or do anything fun, so it was a big deal that he got to come along with us. We struck up a conversation at dinner and saw each other again at a group outing to IHOP (clearly we didn’t have a large food budget…lol).
I actually didn’t like him right away, but I sure did notice him. He was larger-than-life, very in-your-face, which isn’t what I would have expected, knowing him like I do now. So we are sitting across from each other at IHOP, surrounded by all our friends, and he asks if he can borrow my phone to make a call since his was dead. I said sure, unlocked my phone and handed it over. He dials HIS number, HIS “dead” phone rings on the table (very loudly, by the way, so everyone could hear it) and he promptly hangs up, says thank you and hands it back to me, with a smirk on his face. If you’d been there, I’m pretty sure you’d have been able to see the entirety of my eyeballs. It was very gutsy, that’s for sure, and it worked, I was very flattered.
When and how did he propose?
He proposed on our first anniversary. I knew something was brewing when he asked if I was getting my nails done for the anniversary surprise he had planned (rookie mistake). My best friend quickly brushed it off when I called her later, saying she knew the plans and it wasn’t an engagement. I fell for it. We had plans to go somewhere that day, but he had to go ahead of me, so my parents drove me down. I had to lay down in the backseat blindfolded so I wouldn’t know where we were going. We pull onto a beach in a secluded area of Galveston Island. John opens the door for me and says, “Hey! Let’s go for a walk!” I hesitate since I’d spent an hour doing my hair, but I hop out of the car anyways. We walk on the beach for a while and then stop at a large driftwood log. It’s covered in bouquets of roses and a blue bottle is nestled in the sand. He stops me and picks up the bottle casually, wondering where it came from. *wink wink* He read me a letter addressed to himself as if written by someone else. At the end, the author tells him to propose in words that are much more elegant than the ones I’m using right now. I’ll never forget the way he looked kneeling down with the waves crashing behind him. It was surreal, so surreal that I forgot to actually say yes until we got in the car 20 minutes later.
Where and when is the big day?
June 23rd, 2018 in Galveston, Texas at the Hotel Galvez.
Wedding theme?
The theme is going to be soft romantic, I guess. The colors are blush, gold, dusty lilac with some greenery.
What is the difference between engaged life and dating life?
The difference between dating life and engaged life wasn’t so clear at first, since our engagement was so long. We didn’t dive right into wedding planning. The difference was more abstract, as in the commitment made was much deeper now, our future more set.
How do you balance planning a wedding and school?
Balancing wedding planning and school hasn’t been very difficult. Only recently have we been planning things during the semester. Most of the time decisions have been made during breaks and a lot of the planning will be done this summer. Next fall might get a little tough, but I’m actually excited to be doing wedding things! It’s not a stressful thing for me.
Has life changed for you since your engagement, if so how?
Life has changed in that I want to spend even more time with him than before. Every waking second I can get, I’ll take. I have never wanted to be that girl who shuts friends out though, so I always make an effort to spend time with friends both to make sure they continue to feel valued, and also because I truly cherish girlfriend time.
How did your friends/family react to your engagement:
My friends and family were ecstatic. I still remember turning around on the beach and seeing my parents huddled under an umbrella together with their raincoat hoods pulled around their faces, iPhones up snapping pictures. It was the sweetest sight to see. I told a select few friends and family before announcing the engagement; there were lots of people I didn’t want to find out via social media. There was an overwhelming amount of excitement.
Your favorite thing about being engaged:
My favorite thing about being engaged is knowing that the person who is sitting next me now will still be there 20, 30, even 50 years down the road. I want to be just as goofy then as we are now, and to stay young at heart together forever. He makes every day easier for me in any way he can and supports me in whatever I choose to do. Those are values I cherish and look forward to in having in a husband.
Hardest part about being engaged while in school?
The most difficult thing about being engaged in college is definitely the length of my engagement. When it’s all said and done, we will have been engaged for over two years. We were so excited to get engaged, but I know that with being engaged so young, there weren’t any shortage of whispers behind my back or musings about why we made the leap. The long wait also feels like waiting for Christmas in July. It’s been so exciting, but also so far off for so long that it felt like 10 years away for a while.
Dream wedding singer?
My dream wedding singer would be Ben Rector. He sings our first dance song, and to have him there would be the most incredible thing ever. Also, Maroon 5 showing up and singing Sugar would be pretty great, too.
Favorite thing about your fiancé?
My favorite thing about my fiancé? It’s so hard to choose. There are things about him that I love, and things about the way he loves me that I love. I love his work ethic and intelligence. It sounds boring, but I never have to push or motivate him to be the best he can be, he already does that. And being able to hold intelligent conversations with the same person who tickles you into oblivion is pretty cool, too. I also value the way he handles my temperament. He knows exactly how to cheer me up or calm me down, or just be there with me. It took a bit to get used to each other, since we were so different when we met. Putting together someone like him and someone like me wasn’t easy at first.
What’s your fiancé’s bad habit(s):
His bad habits. Hmm. Anything to do with cleaning. God bless him he tries, but the man can’t fold laundry to save his life, at least not like I do it (which is the right way. Haha I kid I kid). We have actually had competitive fold-offs for my roommate to judge who is better at folding laundry, but I’ll leave it to the imagination who she declared the winner. As long as he continues to help me out like he does, I don’t have a complaint in the world, even if I sometimes have to reload the dishwasher after he does. ☺ I will say, he doesn’t think he can cook, but one of my favorite comfort foods is his BBQ chicken. He says it’s just the butter, but I think it’s more than that.
Favorite celebrity wedding dress:
My favorite celebrity wedding dress. I don’t know if I have one. Wait, that’s a lie. I love the dress Cinderella wears at the end of the movie in the live-action version. I think the castle is also a part of it. That sounds super cliché, but whatever. I just won’t allow myself to go into a bridal shop and say “I want to look like a princess on my wedding day”. That’s one of my Say Yes to the Dress pet peeves. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to though…
Dreams for the future for you and your fiancé:
My wish for the future is to have a close-knit family and peaceful home life. I just want to come home every day to my best friend, my home and as long as I have that, I’m happy.
Best of luck to these two love birds! We cannot wait for all the wedding pictures!