"I knew what her...picture-perfect engagement would be like, and I was like, 'I want to make that as best as I know how.'"
-Chad Paine
On this day three years ago, Chad Paine proposed to Erin Bates.
Chad planned a beautiful day that made his bride-to-be feel very loved. It started with lunch at Calhoun's on the Tennessee River. Gil and Kelly Bates came along. (Erin wanted her parents to be nearby during the proposal because they had invested so much of themselves into her life over the years.)
The next stop was Whitestone Country Inn, located in Kingston, Tennessee. Erin and Chad went for a canoe ride and then toured the property in a horse-drawn carriage. It was during the carriage ride that the couple held hands for the first time.
The driver dropped them off at a gazebo overlooking the lake. On a table inside the gazebo were a dozen white roses with two red roses in the middle. Chad dropped down on one knee and proposed with the words: "Erin Elise, will you marry me?" And Erin said "yes!"The two embraced in a hug and enjoyed a few moments together before meeting up with the Bates parents to share their exciting news. They celebrated with a seven course dinner at the inn.
"When I look back and think about it, it seems almost unreal because it was so perfect."
-Erin (Bates) Paine
Happy engagement anniversary, Erin and Chad!
Photos courtesy of UP