With wedding season upon us, we’re reminded of the precious process of joining two individuals in matrimony. And for two reporters at Richland Source, exchanging vows is soon to be a reality.
Reporter Dillon Carr and his fiancée Caitlin McCue, as well as reporter Emily Johnson and her fiancé Jon Dech, are currently in the process of preparing for July weddings. The couples both got engaged this past Christmas season, along with numerous others across the globe. Despite the popularity of the season in which they got engaged, their stories are anything but “ordinary.”
Dillon: The prospect of marriage dawned early in our relationship—we just didn’t know when it would happen.
Emily: Likewise, I was certain that Jon and I were going to get married long before he proposed. What surprised me, however, was the day on which he chose to ask.
Dillon: In December 2013, I knew it was time to pop the big question. I was scared, yes, but I was stumped on how to surprise her. The engagement story is huge for a woman. The pressure was on.
Emily: It’s not that we intend to put pressure on men to come up with unique ways to propose, but proposal stories, for me anyway, are always fun to hear about. In fact, the first words I said to Dillon when he walked into work the day after he got engaged were, “How did you propose?!”
Dillon: So one Sunday afternoon, after buying the perfect ring, tireless brainstorming, and purchasing a tire pressure gauge, I came up with the best plan. (I’ll explain the tire pressure gauge soon). That evening my family and I had plans on dining in Columbus with my sister’s boyfriend and his family to celebrate his college graduation. I decided I would ask her before entering the restaurant.
It was a frigid December day (the 15th) and the wind chill drove the temperature into the negatives. She had a chic dress on with high-heels. Perfect. She had no idea.
Emily: I didn’t have a clue about what Jon was up to either. Christmas Day is one of the most popular days to propose. It’s predictable … And Jon is anything but predictable.
However, as paradoxical as it may sound, the predictability caught me off guard and made for a surprising proposal.
Dillon: Stumping Caitlin is hard, so I really had to work on being cool. On the way, I casually asked her to guess her Christmas present, knowing she would have a hard time guessing a tire pressure gauge. We do this often when it’s time to give presents to each other- it’s a playful competition we have. So I figured her radar wouldn’t detect anything unusual.
After many unsuccessful guesses, she finally got it. She laughed because she remembered our ongoing joke that she’s clueless when it comes to car maintenance. I handed it to her and said, “Merry Christmas!” She replied with, “Um … thanks!” and mimed excitement for the extremely bland and practical gift.
Emily: I think practicality is a characteristic shared among most men. For instance, part of Jon’s Christmas present to me was salad tongs, a back-up hard drive, and tea.
I received those items late Christmas day at his parents’ home, which was full of eager relatives, friends, and neighbors who were lingering surprisingly late into the evening, suspecting that Jon had something special planned. I, oblivious to the excitement stamped on their faces, was ushered into the living room and sat down in the middle of the circle of guests who watched as I unwrapped Christmas presents.
Once I started unwrapping the box that Jon gave me, I noticed his step-dad, Troy, filming the process. When I asked him about that, he shrugged it off and said he did that for everyone. I didn’t think much of it and continued to unwrap the present.
The box was filled with the aforementioned practical items … nothing super romantic … and no ring.
Dillon: Meanwhile, the ring burned a hole in my pocket and I rehearsed the perfect proposal speech in my head. She was totally caught off guard with her “present”; I was in the clear. I then insisted I teach her how to check the pressure in her tires as soon as we parked.
When we found a parking space along Columbus’s busy Nationwide Boulevard, I slyly set the ring on the rear driver’s side tire valve stem, while she gracefully slipped on the ice that failed to support her high-heels. (Thankfully, she caught herself on the door handle). I raced over to her, showed her the ropes on the first tire, and invited her to try the next. She reluctantly agreed, and I insisted on her checking the next, where the ring awaited her approval.
Emily: After opening my present from Jon, I sat contently and wondered why everyone was still looking at me with big grins on their faces.
Then Jon’s mom, Lynn, excitedly announced that I had to find my pickle.
Wait, what? … I was confused.
She explained to me that all of the relatives found a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree earlier in the day. Each ornament was numbered, and the number corresponded to a certain a present.
I loved the idea and began to search for the ornament. My eyes landed upon the pickle and Lynn handed me a gift.
I paused before opening the present and noticed that everyone’s eyes were fixated on me. My heart started to race then because that was when I started thinking to myself that something was going on.
Dillon: A shivering banter ensued, with her reminding me of our lateness to the dinner. But I insisted she check all tires. It wouldn’t take long; they could wait 10 more minutes. Knowing I wouldn’t budge, she gave a resentful snort and a playful eye-roll and agreed. I just laughed. I’m surprised she didn’t slug me. Maybe she was too cold to try.
When she found it (while dodging oncoming traffic), we laughed, and I totally blanked on everything I prepared in my head. I even forgot to put the ring on her finger. She had to ask me if I planned on putting it on her finger as I expectantly stared into her eyes. So I snapped to and escorted her to the side of the street so our engagement promised life instead of a fateful side-swipe by a taxi.
I still forgot the speech. I whipped up something sweet and special on the spot and she gave an enthusiastic, “of course.” We then forgot about the cold and walked blissfully to the restaurant where the news erupted a double celebration.
Emily: I opened the box and low and behold, an engagement ring was staring at me. I looked up to see all of the excited faces and turned to Jon. I said to him, “This is really nice!…” Pretty lame, I know, but that was all I could think to say in the moment.
Honestly, the rest of the story is kind of a blur. I know that there were smiles, laughter, and, of course, a “yes!” blurted out from the eager bride-to-be.
Our stories aren’t exactly traditional, and far from over. We would like to invite you to follow our journey down the aisle as it unfolds this summer. Check back soon for the next part: wedding planning. While you’re waiting for the next part to publish, feel free to share a part of your engagement story in the comment boxes. We’d love to hear it!
