We love a great St. Augustine proposal story, don’t you? When we saw the video and read about their story, we knew that we wanted to feature Melissa & Mark’s Fountain of Youth marriage proposal story.
Share with us when and how you met each other.
Mark and I met when we were both home from college on winter break. We had lived one neighborhood apart when we were kids and we went to the same high school, but we never crossed paths until December of 2017.
I was having a few of my high school friends over to my house for holiday drinks and exchanging stories from everyone’s Fall semester away at our separate universities, and my friend from high school asked if he could bring his brother. P.S.- the brother was Mark, my now fiancé.
Mark and I immediately hit it off and spent the rest of winter break getting to know each other before heading back to school. It was such a special time and the fact that we met around Christmas made everything feel more magical.
What are your favorite things to do together as a couple?
We have so many hobbies it’s hard to only pick a few. We love to cook together, we love going to the beach for long walks, we love going to restaurants or a supermarket to pick a good red wine!
We also love planning trips together. Nashville has been our favorite trip together so far. We are always finding a way to have fun!
How long were you together before getting engaged?
We were together for four years.
Did anyone help with the Fountain of Youth marriage proposal?
Nope! He planned it all himself.
Share your marriage proposal story…
Mark started planning our proposal two months before it happened! He went to a jeweler to get his great-grandmother’s diamonds repurposed.
We did not go ring shopping together because I have always told him I want to be surprised with the proposal and the ring. He knows me best, so I knew he would pick something great.
Once he got the ring he asked both of my parents for permission to propose to me, and they were very excited because they love him. He then told our family and friends that he wanted to propose on April 29th in St.Augustine, FL. I was clueless!
To throw me off, my friend Madie had texted me saying she wanted to celebrate her birthday in St.Augustine. I was so excited to celebrate her birthday, so I thought, and I knew we would be taking pictures together so I wore one of my new favorite dresses and did my hair and makeup nice.
Mark, myself and a few of our friends were planning on carpooling, so we all hopped in the same car, and just as we were about to leave my apartment complex Mark said “I forgot something.” I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the point where Mark went back to my apartment and packed me a quick overnight bag.
We arrived at St.Augustine outside of the Fountain of Youth and just as I had expected my friend Madie wanted to take pictures for her “birthday.” Me and the other girls in our friend group gathered around Madie to snap a pick.
Someone tapped me on the back while we were taking these pictures and I realized all of my friends had run out of the shot. I turned around and Mark was down on one knee proposing to me with a beautiful diamond ring.
He told me all of the things he loved about me and asked me to be his wife. I was too stunned to speak, but once I got my bearings together I said “yes!!” Just as he was proposing the St.Augustine trolley turned down the street and everyone on the trolley cheered and the trolley bells rang.
What was the best moment of the proposal?
The best moment of the proposal was when I said “Yes” because Mark and I were so happy, the trolley people were cheering, the bells were ringing, our friends were cheering and in that moment Mark told me that our families were also there!
My sister in law Bailey popped out of the bushes where she had been taking pictures of us, my mom happily rolled out a cooler full of Prosecco and My dad, brothers, and Mark’s parents cheering along with everyone.
Who did you tell that you were engaged first?
Most of our friends and family were at the proposal so I didn’t have to tell too many people, but I made sure to call my grandparents, aunt and uncle, my friends who couldn’t be there and my cousins.
Tell us about the ring!
The ring is so sentimental because the diamonds are from Mark’s great grandmother’s ring. He had it reset at Deerwood Jewelers in Jacksonville, FL. It is a round cut diamond with diamonds on the band.
Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
I have been surprised by how much closer I feel to Mark during this period in our relationship. We have always been each other’s best friend , but something about being engaged just makes me feel even closer to him.
I have enjoyed wedding planning! It has been so much fun to pick out all of the details for our big day.
Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
What are you most excited about wedding planning?
Everything excited me, to be honest! I love knowing that each detail I’m planning is going to result in a huge celebration of our love with all of our close friends and family in attendance.
If you’ve already decided, when are you getting married and what is your venue?
We are getting married April 2023 at The Lakewood Ranch Country Club.
Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
Why did you choose that venue?
We chose this venue because it is so stunning and checked all of our boxes! It has an outdoor area for cocktail hour, a ballroom with a terrace for the reception and a great bridal suite for the morning of.
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Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
We decided to base our wedding budget off of the average cost of weddings in our area.
Classic and romantic.
Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
Have you selected any other vendors for your wedding?
- DJ: 💚 Gaby from Our DJ Rocks
- Country Club Ceremony & Reception Venue: Lakewood Ranch Country Club
- Photographer: Meche Ausina Photography
- Hair and Makeup for bridal party: Before the Aisle
Get your big vendors books (venue, photographer, food, and entertainment) and then relax and enjoy your engagement for awhile before planning the details.
Have a small engagement party during that planning break! Deciding on your big vendors can be stressful, so let the engagement party charge your energy and excitement back up for the rest of wedding planning.
Engagement Picture by Meche Ausina Photography
Congratulations Melissa & Mark on your Fountain of Youth marriage proposal!
Want to feature your proposal? CLICK HERE to submit your story!
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