Standing in her bridal suite with her best friends on her wedding day last Saturday in Galena, Illinois,Chloe Christiansennoticed her mom walk through the door with a special delivery.
“This is from your finance,” Christiansen’s mother told her.
Unsure what the gift could be, Christiansen grabbed the package – a pile of books wrapped neatly in an olive green ribbon – sat down, and started flipping through the pages. Instantly, she started to cry.
Christiansen and her husband on their wedding day.Mikayla Slaubaugh Photography
Mikayla Slaubaugh Photography
Her soon-to-be husband surprised her with five photo books filled with pictures and notes from each year of their relationship.
Every detail of the books, Christiansen says, were perfectly thought out. The very first photo in the first book was a snapchat selfie Christiansen’s husband took of them on their first date. One album was dedicated solely on moving together to Colorado. Another was all about their relationship during the pandemic.
“He included photos of me from my travels even though we weren’t together because we were like ‘I want our kids to see what our lives were like,’” she says. “We don’t have any kids but in itself that was so thoughtful to see what he was already planning for that.”
While getting their hair and makeup done, she and her bridesmaids reminisced about old photos and memories. Christiansen says was the last to get her makeup done because kept crying.
“I was so overwhelmed,” Christiansen says, starting to tear up. “I just felt the most loved I’d ever felt. For a minute I felt like it was something out of a movie. The fact that I was about to marry someone who took the time, and was so thoughtful to make something so amazing.”
Since Christiansen got engaged she lost three grandparents and an aunt and an uncle. So she says having photos of them in front of her and not just having everything digital made the gift so special.
“I felt so loved and felt so special. It was such a dream. And I’m so thankful that he thought of doing those things for me,” she says.
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Thinking back on it, she recalls how for months her husband would ask for her phone to look at pictures. At that time, she didn’t think anything of it.
Christiansen tearing up at the alter.Mikayla Slaubaugh Photography
“I do think girls are a lot more the ones that go online and search cutey ideas we can do and guys are classic and they spoil us in other ways,” she says.
“But I don’t think some of these ideas are in their face and that’s why I was like I want to show that this was like something that moved me and like literally set the tone for the entire day that like any guy could do it," she adds.
source: people.com