The big day is almost here!

• Target
• Bed Bath and Beyond
• Crate & Barrel

Shannon and I met at VCU. We met at the beginning of freshman year and became friends. There wasn't any romance in the air (yet).

Things started to change during the second semester of junior year. It was spring break. I was bored and hopped on AIM. I saw that Shannon was online and thought, "Shannon's always been interesting. I'd like to get to know her better." So I sent her an instant message.

We chatted on AIM all that week, and by the end of break, I knew I wanted to ask Shannon to go on a date with me.

After our first date, I knew I wanted Shannon to be my girlfriend.

And soon after we started dating, I knew that Shannon was the lady I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I couldn't believe that she had been under my nose the whole time we were at college.

Matt proposed on Christmas Day 2009, but our engagement story actually started around October 2009, right before my birthday. We were talking birthday pressies, and out of nowhere Matt goes, “I know what I'm getting you for Christmas!” But that was all he said to me; little did I know that he had decided when he was going to propose.

As we went through November and December, Matt and I were busy getting ready for Christmas. Christmas is our favorite holiday, hands down. It's a very magical time of year and a wonderful time to celebrate your loved ones. Matt and I love “cheesy” Christmas stuff, like claymation movies and going to the annual tree lighting in Downtown Richmond.

I still get a kick out of checking out my presents under the tree (and yes, I still shake them and try to guess what's inside). I was very, very intrigued when my presents from Matt started appearing under the tree, especially since they were all numbered. I even asked one day, “Do I have to open them in some special order?” Matt replied, “Yes. Please stop asking questions.”

On Christmas Day, we packed up our presents and headed to my parents' house to spend the day with them. When we got to the house, Matt announced I had to open all my presents from him last.

There were 9 presents under the tree, and the first one started with a note that read, “I love you because....” Each present had a note with a different reason why he loved me, and a gift that symbolized something about me or our relationship.

Now, I didn't really suspect anything until present #7, which was a photo frame with this note attached: “I can picture us together forever.” I had this big, huge grin on my face, and I started sniffling. Present #8 was a letter from Matt, explaining how much he loved me and how he's been dying to ask me something. By now, I was really crying. I opened present #9 and there it was, a note with “Will You Marry Me?” written on it, nestled in some tissue paper.

I'm not sure if I ever said yes out loud. I just remember smiling and nodding (a lot!). And thinking that I was the luckiest lady in the whole world to have Matt in my life.