In celebration of my recent engagement to Mr. Wonderful, I figure every so often I shall entertain you with a blog post of my crazy wedding planning, our relationship, and just the joys of this wedding photographer planning her wedding private ceremony in one month to the love of her life!

I was trying to play off that show “How I met your Mother”  Is that even a good show? I’ve only heard of it, never watched it. This is my fairytale story, which fortunately, is my reality.

Mr. Wonderful and I met a year and a half before we started actually dating.  It was a…professional singles Christian mixer thing at a house.  Clearly I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it in fewer words.  It’s not quite working.

It was spring of 2010. Somehow the details of the event spread like wildfire from one friend to another and I found myself in a room where the odds were similar to that of The Bachelor. There were probably five girls to every guy.  Mr. Wonderful likes to remind me that, “They were great odds.”  Sure.  Once I realized that, mentally I  checked out and decided a night with my girlfriends was how I was going to view it.

Then, he walked across the kitchen and caught my eye.  I took note of his handsome appearance and, he was definitely the best dressed.

I was talking to someone…then suddenly I heard my name.  I’m not sure if I even closed the conversation I was in before I walked over the huddle of guys.  (I’m sorry whoever you were if I didn’t, so rude of me).

“According to Benjamin, you have the best nose at the party,” said Dennis before and he and his buddy took off, leaving us.  And, now you know Mr. Wonderful’s name.

“Um, are you a plastic surgeon or something?” I asked with my brows furrowed.

He laughed.  He told me he was in medical sales and all he stared at were noses all day – mannequins and on the operating table.  Then, for the next two plus hours, we were glued.  Then, the night was over and we parted ways.

I said my nightly prayers as I sat in my bed.  Lord, I felt like I really clicked with Benjamin. That was too easy.  It felt so right.  If it is your will for us to be together, you’ll make it happen at the right time.  I trust you.

And life went on.  And I never thought about it again. For a year and a half.

14 months later…and a whole lot of first dates and blind dates…

It was Easter 2011 before church service when I was catching up with Rachelle’s boyfriend, Charlie.  Charlie expressed interest in a career change – medical sales, he said.  I told him I once knew a guy, briefly, for a few hours, who was in that industry. And then everything about Benjamin hit me like a ton of bricks.  Benjamin.  Piercing blue eyes.  Blond hair. Nice voice.  Intelligent. Illinois.  MBA.  Nice socks and shoes.  Good conversation. Then, I couldn’t stop talking about him all day to my friends.  I’m going to find out what that guy is up to, I told myself.

The next day, a friend sent me an email to check in.  Hey, what ever happened to the Benjamin guy? She had dinner plans with her best friend Shannon who knew him.  She said she’d ask with my permission.  Then my number got passed along, he called, and our first phone call lasted an hour.  I’m not going to lie. I had waited for his call (just ask Rachelle) that I refused to get off the phone until he secured me for a date.  A date was set for the upcoming Saturday at my favorite spot, La Grande Orange Pizzeria.

It was the best first (and last) date I ever had in my life.  He made me laugh, I blushed, and it was just, as they say, easy.  Oh, and he brought along my fabulous PHOENIX magazine cover and insisted we flip through the pages together and he wanted to see every shot I took and hear the story behind it.  If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.

So, that’s how we met.  It didn’t take long until we were inseparable and talked constantly about the future, he met my parents, came out to visit me over the summer when I spent it in Nor Cal, and we just, knew.  I finally found a man I truly respected and admired all around. A man who could lead me spiritually, encourage me in all the right ways, and bring out the absolute best in me. What joy!  And, a man so similar in humor and drive to that of my father that I swear they are from the same mold, just different eras.  And ethnicity, of course.

Praise God for blessing me with this amazing man that is perfect for me.  I love it when he just holds my face, looks me in the eyes and tells me, “God is so good.”  Yes honey, He so is.  This I always knew. I was just waiting for His perfect timing for Him to bring you into my life, and this is it.

**Update:  See our wedding photos here.

Diana Elizabeth is so excited, so in love, and so thankful for every prayer that went unanswered and every heartbreak she endured to get to where she is now.  She always knew God had a good plan, but she had no idea it would be this incredible.