Engagement: Parker & Heather (Part 2)

When Parker asked me if everyone could come to our house for dessert following his proposal to Heather, I screamed yes without any hesitation. 

And since the bride-to-be's favorite desserts are doughnuts, I knew what we had to pull off - a good ol' fashioned doughnut bar.

Start with everyone's favorite milk selections: chocolate, whole, and almond.

(Of course we served coffee and water, too. But no matter how old you are, nothing tastes better with a fresh doughnut than ice cold milk.)

My favorite party paper suppliers for this event were Target and Hobby Lobby.
I wanted everything to "look" like Heather's taste. I was excited about the paper supplies I found.

I saw this idea on Pinterest. I had no idea how cute they'd be in real life, though!
Diamond ring skewers to pick up the doughnut holes - Adorbs, right?

And the sweetest part...the doughnuts.
Heather's favorite place in Nashville is Fox's Donut Den in Green Hills. So of course Jon and I made a special trip.
They are the best!

Again, thank you Target for the adorable, feminine paper supplies!

The paper fans hanging on the wall are in the Martha Stewart party line at Joann Fabrics.
(They may or may not still be hanging in our kitchen because I like them so much.)

My first attempt at chalkboard art - Parker and Heather's love story (in Park's words).

I mean, what's a party these days without a banner strung across the mantle?
This one is a chalkboard banner, so I can supposedly wipe it off and use my chalk pens for another event.

(And special thanks for DJ Jon for creating the playlist for the evening.)

The Three Amigos! My three favorite people in the entire world (after Jon of course.)  :)

Heather and her parents. We really love them, too. And we are gonna dance at this wedding reception!

Parker and our super proud parents. Thanks for such a great night, Mom and Dad.

These people are my loves.
Every single day I thank The Lord that they are my family.
It goes without saying that each one of us can't wait to officially make Heather our sister.

Engagement: Parker & Heather (Part 1)

About a year ago, my younger brother (I can't really say "little" brother anymore) announced he was saving his money for a very important purchase...an engagement ring. 

At that point, he had been dating his then girlfriend for three years, so a proposal was definitely on the horizon. However, I don't think anyone can be fully prepared for a younger sibling to announce that he will be proposing in the near future. 

My response? 

I screamed. I laughed. I cried. The whole bit.

I was ecstatic!

It has been so fun to witness Parker go through the engagement process: ring shopping, proposal planning (and changing plans...several times...), and finally coming up with the perfect proposal plan. 

So, here we are... a year later. 

Parker and I met for lunch one day, then drove to the jeweler for him to pay for the most exciting purchase! (It was pretty cool that he purchased the ring from the same place Jon purchased mine. He worked with the same jeweler Jon used, and she was ecstatic when I arrived with him to make the purchase.)

Look at this smug face... He's saying, "That's right. I just bought some major bling."

I mean, yowza!

Fact: Parker's twin brother, Jordan, went with Parker to pick up the ring after the ring had been set.
I raced to meet them right after work.
Jordan confessed to me that he teared up four times at the jeweler!

I love their love. And I love how excited he is for his brother.

Parker did a fantastic job of planning the proposal. He even invited both sets of parents to be here in Nashville for the evening... and no one leaked the surprise, which was maybe the biggest surprise of it all!

After Parker popped the question (I'll let them tell that part of the story), they arrived at the restaurant to find both families awaiting their arrival.

Surprised? Yes, Heather was.

And the reaction was beautiful to witness.

(These photos were taken with my iPhone, so please forgive the blurriness.)

The whole evening felt surreal.

To finally inherit a sister- I couldn't be happier.

To watch my brother love a gal as much as he does- I couldn't beam brighter.

To see my family prepare to welcome Heather into our family- I couldn't be more excited.

To see Parker interact with his new in-laws and see how much they already love him- I couldn't smile bigger.

The evening was perfect.

Let the wedding planning begin!