I get to marry the love of my life and best friend on Oct. 5, 2019.
That’s still so weird for me to say!
I pictured Austen and I getting engaged after I graduate in May, but he and God had other plans for us.
Just a week prior to our summer vacation to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, Austen and I attended one of my childhood best friends’ wedding.
As we were watching the happy couple have their first dance as husband and wife, I looked at Austen and said, “This is going to be us in about two years!” To which he replied, “As soon as you graduate, we’ll get the ball rolling.”
My daddy has stressed to me ever since I entered high school that earning my bachelors degree needed to come before anything. Marriage, moving out, kids, etc. So naturally that’s what I had stuck in my head.
After discussing this with Austen we decided we would wait to get engaged after my graduation day in May. I always pictured him proposing at my graduation party/dinner/celebration in front of all of my family and friends. But that’s the opposite of what happened.
Austen’s family goes on vacation to Cocoa Beach, Fl. almost every year and luckily they love me enough to let me tag along with them. (#Blessed). This year they decided to spend one of our six days at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
My main goal as soon as I walked into the gates of Magic Kingdom was to find rose gold Minnie Mouse ears. That was the only thing my mind was set on.
We walked towards Cinderella’s Castle and as we got closer Austen’s mom says, “Let’s take your all’s picture in front of the castle so it’s in the background.” I wearily agreed.
As we posed the picture, Austen pointed at something that was behind me and it made me turn around to see what he was talking about. And there he was… down on one knee, in front of Cinderella’s Castle, with the most beautiful diamond ring in his hand.
“Abbie Elizabeth Long, will you marry me?” he said.
I’m not a very emotional person, but the tears immediately flowed out of my eyes when I saw him down on one knee.
Of course, I said “Yes!” through the weak, crying voice that I had going on at that moment. Once the moment was over I looked at him and said, “But wait… what did my daddy say?”
He then had to explain to me that he had talked to my parents weeks ago about proposing in front of the castle and they had given him their blessing to ask for my hand in marriage. He had also talked to my sister and my best friend about it as well. Essentially everyone knew but me!
I was also panicking because this was going against all of the plans that Austen and I had made. We weren’t “supposed” to get engaged until after May of 2019.
Fast forwarding to today, our wedding is all planned out, our date is set and we have almost everything finished as far as “the big decisions” go.
I never pictured myself getting engaged and having to plan a wedding during my senior year of college, but I’m so glad that God and my future husband had different plans for me.