Marsha and Caleb have the cutest engagement story! After meeting on the dance floor (at their mutual friends wedding) they both went home and told their friends that they were going to marry each other. Fast forward … and here they are! And Caleb told the cutest story about how he proposed … check it out below!
“If you know me, I love creating convoluted plans! They are fun for me and rewarding for the person going through it. The best part is that the plan is intentionally detailed with the person’s personality, interest, and wishes. Marsha is a person that loves puzzles and competition. If she is not intellectually stimulated, she gets bored. I had to find a way that would be mentally engaging for her but distracting enough to get her caught off guard. So, I did a common scavenger hunt, but with a twist of competition.
I made sure the day was set up just right. The first part of preparation was having six people ready to go for the day. So on Saturday April 4th — one week out from April 11th (the day I proposed). I had my best friends and my photographer meet me at Depot Park to make sure we clarified where everyone would be located during the scavenger hunt, and where it would end.
We are ready to go! Friday night, the 10th, I was nervous and excited. I was wondering how it would go, and if Marsha would figure it out and praying that she will say yes.
Marsha and I spent the whole day together. I went to her house to make breakfast and enjoy a slow morning. We later went to go get God’s chicken for lunch- Chick-Fila, and to our surprise, our friend who worked there paid for us. We went to have an outdoor lunch picnic near her house and the weather on that day couldn’t have been better. A sunny day with enough clouds to shade us from the heat and a slight breeze. We ate, laughed, and danced without a sense of time. We finally decided to leave and get ready for my “friend’s graduation pictures.”
We went to Depot Park for my friend’s “graduation pictures.” As we met my best friends there, we stumbled upon a Depot employee (an actor that I hired to play the part). He was handing out scavenger hunt slips for people to participate to build morale during COVID. The winners who figure out the mystery phrase would receive a mystery prize. Though hesitant to do the hunt, Marsha finally hopped on board. We needed to complete a crossword puzzle that led us to clues around the park. Marsha was on fire figuring out the crossword puzzle and competing against my friends. As we figured out some of the words on the puzzle and gathered picture clues; one was a piece of paper, a residential hall name from UF, a birth sign, and a meme, I could sense her confusion. As we walked to the final destination, I saw a civilian (another actress) with their phone up and two girls on a blanket. It’s almost time.
Good thing Marsha was not paying much attention to the people or clues we found around Depot until we stopped at the final place, which was the outlet and the crack on the sidewalk. We finished the crossword puzzle and my friends met up with us to see our progress. My friend secretly slipped the ring box in my pocket while his girlfriend tried to keep Marsha busy by looking at the answers on Marsha’s sheet.
We kept our sheets to ourselves and they left. We found the last clue on the ground and we had to figure out the mystery phrase. The final clue required us to: 1) use four specific words on the crossword puzzle 2) put them in order, and 3) say them fast enough to guess the mystery phrase.
The four picture clues around Depot were; a piece of paper that had the definition of a will “A legal document that expresses a person’s wishes as to how their property is delegated. The second was a University of Florida residential hall- “Hume.” The third was a March through April birth sign- “Aries.” The fourth was a picture with a phrase that related to modern humor- “Meme.” When you read those four words out loud fast, the sound like “Will you marry me” At that point, I couldn’t stop shaking. I told her I figured out the phrase. That is when I got on one knee and asked her- “Will You Marry Me?” The rest is history.
Marsha said yes, I placed the ring on her finger, and kissed her. As I smiled at her, my friends started yelling, the photographer came from under the picnic blanket taking pictures, while the depot ranger and other actresses came around. It was a cherished moment. We took a few pictures, and I could breathe again.
We left and went back to her house. We decided to get Chinese for the night but “needed to stop by the house first.” Once we entered, we passed a black screen computer, saw the decorations her friends put up, and heard them yell “surprise” with confetti thrown our way. We sat down on the couch and I surprised her to see our family and friends on zoom. One way or another, our family would be a part of the proposal. We talked, laughed, and enjoyed our time with them. After we finished our time with them, we had our own time to really settle in the moment and take it all in. We were getting ready to spend our lives together.”
Makeup: Stenza Beauty
Photographer: Molliner Photography
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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