Engaged!

*A diamond ring, a red manicure, a white dress, and, most importantly a* *stellar man*

Our second daughter Sarah was proposed to by dear Connor a week ago Friday afternoon just the two of them post-pilates and she said yes. We are all over the moon filled with joy.

They met in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, June 2024; all of us there to cheer on Half-Ironman athletes traveling from our hometown of Buffalo, NY. Connor and our son Maxwell trained together, and post-race Connor came over to our rental vacation house and that’s where it all began. Connor slipped in seamlessly with our then sixteen person crew; sharing our love of food, family, travel, and the outdoors. Sarah tells us now, ‘when you know, you know.’

*It was planes, trains, and automobiles to get everyone in town on the down low. She had no idea.*

Collectively, Connor’s family and ours, we have been loving them up and cheering them on to get them to that sweet moment, and we all celebrated with a surprise engagement dinner that proposal day Friday evening. There were many moving parts; flights from London, Boston, MA, San Francisco, CA, car trips from Cleveland OH, new sport-coats and haircuts, work schedules adjusted, food selections, wine selections; and flowers, candles, and music. Blowouts and manicures. And dresses! So many great dresses. Every minute of planning and preparation brought together a beautiful evening. There were twenty-three of us around the table, and it was sublime.

To dress her for the event I ordered for her her first pair of Manolo Blahnik’s, a classic slingback in beige suede. Not too high, the heel height is 2.7″. Manolo’s are as comfortable as they are elegant, and this is the shoe I knew I wanted to add to her wardrobe for that evening and all upcoming festivities.

The shoe came first, and then the dress. Her sister Caroline and I toyed with the idea of dressing her in red- she looks amazing in red with her dark hair, and it would have been a fun plot twist to an engagement look, yet in the end white won out. We looked at so many dresses together, deleting text threads and screen shots over weeks of scheming. Honestly, the planning of looks and the process of event dressing can be half the fun, bringing together visions and ideas and dreams with others is time well spent.

Ultimately, it was Staud that won the dress deal. My girls and I have been Staud fans for years now, mixing their bags and dresses into our rotations as the look is both timeless and novel. Initially we were drawn to dresses with embellishments and tulle, that was a quick ride. We wanted her and her ring to shine, not necessarily her dress. Staud has a Bridal Edit, and that’s where I found the dress. I chose the Charlotte Dress in Ecru. Featuring a scoop neck with corset seams through the waistline and flowing to a midi-length a-line skirt, I felt the cut and color would flatter her and stand the test of time when looking back at photographs down the road.

The shoes and dress were both a hit, and bingo on the sizing. My goal is always to buy firm with no returns.

The clothes you wear can lift you up. This was a milestone day for her and I wanted her to feel beautiful, loved, cared for, and seen. I think each and every one of us in the room that night brought our A game in our unique and individual way to celebrate Connor and Sarah’s love; heartfelt thank you to all.

I am grateful and thankful on this Thanksgiving Day.

Warm wishes to you and yours.

ps. there are no edits or AI here, pure early morning writing with mistakes.

pss. wrote this Thanksgiving morning. Finally posting December 2nd, life keeps spinning!