Christopher Jacobs & Whitney Johnson

Chris and Whitney first met by exchanging business-related e-mails while both worked for Blackbaud. After a chance encounter a few weeks later downtown, the two began dating and were soon inseparable. Both, they say, knew they were supposed to spend the rest of their lives together. So it made sense when a year later Chris surprised Whitney with hefty Valentine’s gift (a weekend getaway to The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina) and popped the question on the grounds there. When the pair headed back to their room, both their families and their closest friends (20 people total) were waiting to help them celebrate the big news. Turns out, he had planned the proposal for four months, and had hid the ring in a hole he had cut into their home mattress. Apparently Whitney had slept on it the whole time without a clue. Well-played, Chris!

Photograph by Paige Winn