What’s better than a beautiful, fun couple who are crazy in love? Not a whole lot! For this reason, I’m so excited to introduce you to Amanda & Paul!

Amanda is our District Sales manager here at George Street, and her and her fiance Paul couldn’t be more adorable. I had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon with them drinking delicious coffee, wandering around the city, and chatting about their time being an engaged couple, and let me tell you, it made me so happy! Their love for each other makes them both positively glow, and it sure was contagious! Just wait until you read the proposal story, you’ll see what I’m talking about! Whether you’re single, engaged, or already married, take a scroll through and check out all the wise & sweet things they had to say, and no matter what your relationship status, I know it’ll brighten your day. Xo, Danielle

1. Before we dive into planning details, how did the two of you meet? Tell us your love story!

Amanda: We actually went to the same college but even with mutual friends, never crossed paths.  It wasn’t until we both moved to Chicago after graduation that we met at a housewarming party for those same friends.  Small world! The proposal was one for the books.  Paul had told me he had a surprise trip planned for my birthday, but he wouldn’t tell me where we were going. Upon arriving at our gate, I noticed the monitor said we were heading to Buffalo, NY.  Having never been to Buffalo, I was not sure what to expect.  Little did I know, once we landed we had a car service waiting to drive us up to Niagara Falls! After checking into our room that overlooked the falls, we had lunch at my favorite restaurant, then we headed to the salon where he had booked me the most amazing massage. Afterward, we walked along the falls as the sun was setting and headed to the most beautiful outdoor spot, Oakes Garden Theatre.  Behind the theatre there was a small koi pond with a stone bridge.  Next thing I knew, he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I don’t really remember much from the proposal as I was in such shock!! After the proposal we walked to dinner right as the falls lit up for the evening.  He had champagne and roses waiting for us at our table and we enjoyed an amazing dinner with a 360 degree view of the falls. It was the most amazing weekend of my life!

Paul: After we met we actually spent the next six months becoming best friends.  When we were apart I couldn’t stop thinking about her and I finally decided I had to tell her how I felt.  I knew I was possibly risking our friendship but couldn’t ignore how I felt.  Thank goodness she felt the same way and from that point on we became inseparable.  The ‘funny’ thing about our engagement story is that due to a freak accident we almost had to push the whole thing back.  Amanda and I played together on a flag football team and 3 weeks before the trip Amanda broke her left ring finger on a pass play at the end of our football game!  Just four hours earlier I had booked our flight and hotel and thought there’s no way the proposal was going to happen now.  She wore a splint for three weeks and iced her finger religiously, and luckily, when I proposed three weeks later I was able to fit the engagement ring on the correct finger.  

2. What has been your favorite part of the planning process? Anything more or less fun to plan than you expected? Is there anything you wish you could change?

Amanda: From the time of the proposal to the wedding will be about 18 months.  We wanted a long engagement so that we had plenty of time to plan! We are both very busy with our jobs so finding time to plan a wedding right away wasn’t in the cards for us. I wouldn’t change a thing so far! The best part has been going on different appointments and meeting with our vendors.  We have made them into mini dates for ourselves to keep the planning fun!  Paul’s favorite part so far has definitely been any appointment that involves food.  From tasting our passed appetizers, to the main course (BBQ our favorite!), to the doughnut dessert, Paul has loved every second of it!

Paul: My favorite part is definitely going on our food tastings, but I really enjoy the whole thing more than I thought I ever would.  Amanda has been really laid back and always asks for my opinion about everything.  Our wedding is really going to reflect our tastes and I really appreciate how open-minded she’s been about everything.  

3. When you get stressed out from too much planning, what is something you do together to relax and have fun to take your mind off it?

Amanda: I am a planner by nature so too much planning isn’t a problem for me, haha! But when we do want to spend time not planning we love taking our dog Moose to the dog park or beach.  We also have recently gotten into cooking!

4. Any advice for other couples who are just starting to plan their big day?

Paul: My advice is to listen to each other’s ideas and find out what is really important to both of you.  You’re making a commitment to work as a team for the rest of your life and this is a great opportunity to come together and make something truly awesome.   

Amanda: I completely agree! There is nothing better than seeing your ideas start to come together. My advice would be to have fun with it! Your engagement will go by way too fast and next thing you know the wedding will be over.  This is such a special time in your life, just enjoy the ride!

5. What are some fun facts you have learned about your fiance since getting engaged?

Paul: We’ve been living together for a few years so its hard to find things that surprise me about Amanda, but I will say working together on a project this large for the first time opened my eyes to how organized she really is and her attention to detail.  She thinks about things two or three steps ahead and really does a good job of explaining to me how everything fits together.  It’s been really fun for me.

Amanda: I had no idea how interested Paul would be in the wedding planning process. It is fun to see him come up with great ideas on different aspects of the wedding! He has really come up with some amazing ideas and been so supportive of my ideas.