From Crush to Commitment: My Whirlwind Engagement Story

Surrounded by the lake, I looked out into the water.

"Is that a turtle? A boat? A human?"

I turned around to ask Mason, and he was kneeling down with a ring.

This is my engagement story.

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Hello everyone,

It's so good to be back writing an article for the blog! This year has been incredibly busy, and I've been so grateful for the amazing stories shared by A Graceful Space’s guest authors... I hope you've enjoyed the content as much as I have!

Last week, I created a poll on Instagram to decide the next blog post, and 92% of you wanted to hear my engagement story. So, I didn't have much of a choice haha... just kidding, here it is—nothing short of one of the greatest moments of my life.

But first, a little backstory.

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Since January 2023, I've had a crush on my now-fiancé, Mason Morland. We met in an Ethical Implications of Children’s Literature English class at Southern Methodist University. As a sophomore who hadn’t been on a single date in college, I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, let alone a fiancé. But day by day, my innocent crush became more real, and I knew I had to make a move.

That's right, ladies—woman empowerment. I asked Mason out for coffee. You can do it too!

Little did I know that coffee date on March 8, 2023, would lead to one of the most extraordinary seasons of my life. We quickly realized our connection was special.

On April 4, 2023, I officially became Mason’s girlfriend. Having not dated much before, I was initially hesitant to share our happiness with others… not wanting to venture outside of our newly dating giddy bubble. However, eventually, our friends and family became part of our journey.

Despite our happiness, our relationship faced challenges. In the summer, after only a few months of dating, we were long-distance for almost two months while I studied abroad in Italy. When I returned in the fall, we dealt with academic, professional, and family hardships. Yet, through it all, our love grew stronger (in the most not cliché way possible).

By the holiday season, we started discussing premarital counseling options. As a junior in college and Mason as a senior, we didn’t expect to be considering marriage so soon. However, after many discussions and prayers, we enrolled in Merge, Watermark Community Church’s pre-marriage class. Merge helps seriously dating and engaged couples discern and prepare for marriage by addressing common challenges from a biblical perspective.

If you’re in the DFW Metroplex, I highly recommend Merge or another premarital program at your local church. You can learn more about Merge here:

(https://www.watermark.org/ministries/merge).

During Merge, Mason and I talked about our communication styles, conflict tendencies, personalities, families, finances, community, intimacy, and above all, our relationship with Jesus Christ.

We knew we could only navigate this season with steadfast reliance on the Lord and His plan for our lives.

After completing the 8-week course in March 2024, we felt confident in our future together. However, we faced more trials during Merge and the rest of the spring semester as well. Mason grappled with career decisions post-grad, while I struggled with stress and anxiety over school, work, and personal life. Despite my worries, Mason was my rock—patient, supportive, and loving.

On May 16, 2024, Mason surprised me with the proposal.

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Driving from Oklahoma to Mason’s house in Texas, he asked me to meet him at the lake in Gainesville instead of his house in Irving. This lake was a special retreat for us during our dating season, a place of peace and nature away from the chaos of Dallas.

When I arrived, Mason appeared to be arguing with his mom, which, at time, I thought was real. He stepped out of the glass door facing the lake, and I followed. Trying to comfort him, I asked about an object on the water. Little did I know, I was the distracted one.

When I turned around, Mason was on one knee with a ring. I wish I could tell you what he said, but I completely blacked out! I remember asking, “What are you doing???” over and over in pure, joyous shock.

After hugging for what seemed like hours, Mason pointed to our “photographer”—his mom—hiding and recording the proposal. The argument had been a setup! I learned that Mason had bought the ring the day before one of our biggest fights in February. You can imagine my shock.

We celebrated our engagement with dinner at my favorite restaurant, Hudson House, and the next day we left for an international vacation to Cabo, Mexico with Mason's family. That week was a blur of pure bliss and joy.

Now, as I finally settle into the reality of being engaged, I wanted to share this imperfect, incredible, whirlwind of an engagement story with you. Thank you for being part of our journey and reading our engagement story.

Here's some pictures from our engagement photoshoot in Cabo: