Today I’d like to introduce you to Jessica and Jayson. They are engaged and their wedding will be in October of this year. I met them a year ago when I made prom photos for Jayson’s sister Amy. While I was there, I snapped a quick family portrait of Jayson and his sisters. And then we made a few portraits of Jessica and Jayson too. I guess they liked me, because Jessica contacted me shortly after they got engaged to do their wedding photos. Yay! So now, I’d like to turn the conversation over to Jessica so she can tell you all about the two of them… because they are really cool and they have the BEST engagement story.
How did you and Jayson meet?
Jayson and I met at a state university in north Georgia, in September 2008 during a club meeting. We met briefly at the beginning of the semester and met up once again towards the end which is when we stated dating. The club went out to dinner and I purposely sat near him to strike up conversation. It worked and he ended up buying my dinner that night. Even before graduation Jayson was hired by a local police department to become an officer and I was in the application process for nursing school. I was not only impressed, but I found myself falling for him that night…because nurses and cops go together, right? He was and still is a true gentleman. I couldn’t wait to bring him home to my parents.
Describe your proposal.
It was Christmas Day 2010 and I was working in the ER that evening. It was also the first “White Christmas” in several years as well. The ER was slow so I called Jayson to see if he was willing to trudge through the snow and have dinner with me at 8pm. He said he would come. At 6pm I got a call on my spec phone from a tech telling me I had someone here to visit me and that they were being brought back to me. Slightly puzzled I waited…and waited….and FINALLY the tech rounded the corner and so did Jayson…in full uniform. I was shocked, thought something was wrong (he was 2hours early and in uniform!), and asked about 20 questions. Jayson said he wanted to step outside with me. I argued because it was snowing and justified it by insisting I can watch it through the EMS doors and that I didn’t have a sweater. He insisted and finally I gave in. As we walked through the corridors he was very quiet and stiff. He had his “cop face” on, as I like to call it. I kept asking if everything was alright. Then, as we made it outside and actually into the falling snow in front of the hospital’s ER entrance before I could say another word, Jayson was on one knee and asking to me marry him! It was amazing. Not a sound was to be heard in the serenity of the snowy white evening. No patients entering the ER, no ambulance sirens going off, no cars. It was perfect.
What was dating like?
Dating was kinda tough. By the time I was in nursing school with my busy schedule and him with his schedule, spending time together was a challenge at times since we went from 15 minutes to about an hour away from each other. We hung in there for about a year and a half and met half way a lot to have dinner and to stare at each other googly eyed, savoring each minute together for a couple hours at a time until we could see each other again.
Tell us about your ring.
My ring is one of a kind and is something I picked out 8 months before Jayson proposed. The center diamond is particularly special to us because it is his mother’s stone. She gave it to him to give to me. I asked for the setting itself to be flat since I put gloves on all day long and I didn’t want a high stone breaking through the glove. The side stones add some elegance and I love the curves and the shapes, it looks kinda antique or old fashioned which is the reason I was originally drawn to it.
How would you describe your relationship?
Our relationship can be described as an old fashioned one. He is my gentleman and I am his lady. I would do anything for him (as long as it doesn’t involve the purchase of another gun) and he would do the same for me (just with shoes). We are best friends and keep no secrets. We enjoy spending every minute we can with each other. Every night when he leaves to go to work, we are like two teenagers all giddy and lusty for each other not wanting either one to leave or go. Sometimes it’s quite comical as I think we do it for the fun factor. We love to make each other laugh; I don’t think there is a day that goes by where he hasn’t made me laugh hard (apparently tickling counts, I say it’s cheating but he says it counts).
What is your wedding going to be like?
Our wedding will consist of a touch of country and a little rock and roll with some elegant flare. The ceremony and reception will be on 33 acres of his parent’s land in the north Georgia Mountains in mid-October. The ceremony will be under an ancient oak with a swing, (shown in some of the pictures Amanda took) and the ceremony will be under a tent we have rented just over yonder from the ceremony site. We are so excited and grateful that Jayson’s family has allowed us to use their land and who have already given us so much help thus far and will continue to provide up to our special day. We are using natural resources to make this wedding happen. We are making many decorations out of natural materials that can be found on practically any farm or body of land to create a relaxed and down to earth atmosphere.
Thank you Jessica and Jayson for getting up so crazy early to play with me. I had such a great time making your photos and I’m really excited about your wedding, and not just because the photos will be awesome, but also because you guys are so amazing.
