Hi, my name is Elonda, and my fiance is Jared! He will become my hubby on November 3, 2012 in Dallas, TX. Wedding planning is in full swing!

My best friend, msdl, is extremely active on PW and has been waiting on this moment for quite a while. :)

I look forward to getting to know other brides and sharing ideas! I will be keeping certain pieces of my bio private, so please add me as a friend to view my profile!

Happy Planning! :-)

It was Thursday, January 29, 2009 and my girlfriend invited me to a happy hour at Zea Woodfire Grill in Frisco, TX. (If you live in the Dallas area, they have excellent ribs and corn grits :-) I was planning to skip it and head home, but decided to drop by for some dinner and a drink. 

I noticed Jared or “J” in the corner when I walked in, but was rather turned off to see him “holding court” with a group of girls circling him. My girlfriend introduced me to the group he was in and a bunch of other people before I sat down to look at the menu while she mingled some more.

After a few minutes, J walked over and reintroduced himself.  He spent the next 2.5 hours dazzling me with stories from his childhood and all of the jobs he has had, including working as a psychic for the Ms. Cleo Network in college! He kept me laughing the entire time. 

After happy hour everyone headed next-door for more drinks and dancing. I tried to mingle with some other people, but he kept coming by to check on me. He asked me to dance and definitely got a little up close and personal. He jokes that he had to see what I was working with! There happened to be a photographer there, so we have a picture of the first day we ever met hanging on our refrigerator!

After 5.5 hours of happy hour, J walked me to my car and asked for my number. I obliged and he asked me to call and let him know that I made it in safely. (Always a gentleman and a playa!) We hung out a few more times with friends before having our first official date on Valentine’s Day. All of the “best” restaurants were booked up, so he cooked dinner for me complete with my favorite dessert, creme brulee!

I knew early on that he was special, but I didn’t feel quite ready for him. I tried many times to cool things off, but he never took no for an answer. J told me very early on that I was a blessing from God. My honey’s faith and persistence definitely paid off!

Over the past 2.5 years, we have had are ups and downs, but is has only made us stronger. I feel so blessed to call him my best friend! We both come with a slew of close friends and family, so it’s definitely a package deal. I can’t wait to call J my hubby!!

Everyone tells me that I have a sixth sense about things, so J had his hands full trying to plan a surprise proposal! I thought that he would propose on are upcoming vacation to Aruba, which I selfishly wasn't too happy about. (I kept thinking that he would misplace the ring, it would get hung up in customs or I would expect him to drop down on one knee every second of the vacation!)

It was Saturday, August 13th, the night of my mom's sensational 60th birthday celebration that I had been planning for months. Several people asked me in the weeks before if I thought he would propose during my mom's party, but I was convinced that he wouldn't want to steal the attention from my mom. To my surprise, he had contacted her the Monday before while I was out of town on business. He asked if he could propose to me the night of her party and she said that she couldn't ask for a better gift! (I have the best mommy!)

We spent the few days before the party hanging with family & friends and making airport runs. I was so focused on my to do list that I didn't think anything of all of the errands he was running. He was so excited about this BOGO sale at Bachrach and the two linen suits that he purchased. (We LOVE a good sale!) I thought he was just trying to show out for part of my family that he hadn't met...LOL!

The day of the party his sister came over to help us with the centerpieces, and I kept catching them whispering and making sly glances, but again I was focused on making sure the party was flawless. We were on a tight schedule, and I kept catching him doing nothing. (I feel a little bad now since he was just trying to gather his thoughts!) I insisted that we all ride together and get dressed at the venue, and I didn't understand why he was giving me grief about it at the time, but he obliged. :-) It all ended up working out...the venue was ready to go and so were we before the guests arrived!

We were all having a fabulous time when my dad walked up on stage and started fumbling with the mic. You have to know my dad to appreciate the comedy...he likes to take over sometimes! So this was our cue to start the toasts. He calls me and my sister on stage, then my mom and about 10 other people, including J and his parents. LOL:) Everyone takes turns toasting my mom, with me and J going last. J loves to recite poetry and spoken word, so I asked him to prepare something for her a few weeks earlier. I didn't think anything of him stepping up to the mic and reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. He then went on to talk about how much he has enjoyed getting to know my mom; how grateful he is for the opportunity to become part of the family and how selfless she is. The mention of her selflessness was my first indication that something was up! He grabs a gift from the stage and pulls out a box...it's all a blur from this point on! I remember him talking to me about God, faith and the importance of being equally yoked...then came the Swarovski Crystal Faberge egg! He opened the egg and there she was...the most beautiful custom ring! We looked for months ahead of time, and he worked with a designer to combine three different rings that we liked.

We celebrated for the rest of the evening with family and friends! We had a professional photographer there, so we have great pics of the entire evening. :-) We also have it on video, but I still haven't seen it! It's been a whirlwind since our engagement, but we are loving every minute. The first thing we did was secure our wedding planner, so when we get back from vacation it's time to venue shop! Yea!! :-)