Mack’s mom reached out to me about a month ago, asking if I could help with her son’s surprise proposal. He wasn’t from the area, and had big dreams of pulling off a surprise proposal to his now fiancée under the St. Louis Gateway Arch!
I clearly wouldn’t be writing this blog post if we didn’t knock it out of the park:
These two traveled quite the distance to make it to St. Louis! Mack and Belle are both from Alabama, but now both live in Mississippi, but even more exciting … are looking for houses in St. Louis!
As for making this Arch magic happen … we hatched a plan! Mack’s mom has a good friend who lives in St. Louis. Mack made up an elaborate fib that this friend really wanted to show them the arch! She was supposed to be meeting them there and then they were going to lunch. Well, safe to say she never showed …
I asked Mack to program me in his phone under the friend’s name, just in case Belle peeked over his shoulder to see who he was texting. The next challenge? Getting Belle in position. There was some rope blocking off this gorgeous expanse of grass right in front of the Arch. I instructed Mack to step over it. He did … and Belle wouldn’t.
After some gentle coaxing, and Mack getting a stranger to take their picture with his phone, Belle relented and stepped over the no-no ropes. Worth it! Sorry, City of St. Louis … we promise it was worth it, and we didn’t ruin any of your grass!
The couple told me they crossed many times in college, and Belle says they joke they were always destined to meet (maybe it’s not a joke, though, because it seems true!). What officially sealed the deal was when Mack moved into the apartment upstairs from Belle.
But it started for Mack a little earlier, “I’ve been planning this proposal for months now. I asked for her mom’s permission to marry her daughter back in July and have been coordinating everything else since then. I’ve wanted to marry Belle from the moment we met.”
If that isn’t the most romantic thing you’ve ever read …
From Belle: “The first time I met Mack, I was like a little kid again, excited to sit next to him and scared to talk to him. I thought Mack was so chill and funny and not to mention, attractive.”
So, one would think a romantic trip to St. Louis might have tipped her off a proposal was coming? Nope!
“I’ve been joking for several months about a proposal, but he played it off so well I had no idea. I’m seriously the hardest person to surprise and I’m still shocked!” Belle wrote to me.
Since this blog post is truly about their love story, I will let the couple have the last words.
Belle: “Mack is the man I’ve always dreamed of. He completes me. It’s crazy that we grew up in different towns and I didn’t know him for 19 years of my life. I don’t know how I ever lived without him.”
Mack: “Belle is the most kind hearted giving person I have ever met. Her attitude towards life and hard working funny personality is what makes her truly special. She is always ready for an adventure and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life loving her.”
Congrats, you two! Hopefully we will see you at the wedding! 😉