Although it seems as though the world’s been turned upside down by the unprecedented events of 2020, there are still so many things to look forward to. For me, this means getting excited about listening to Michael Bublé’s Christmas covers, wearing my winter wardrobe, and buying Bath and Body Works’ limited edition Christmas candles (which are currently on sale). Although I’m sure these sound like riveting arrangements, some of our teachers have much bigger events to plan.

Ms. Luebke’ 13, Ms. Rocha, and Ms. Rieder have recently announced their engagements, and are all very excited for their big ‘I dos.’ I had the opportunity of talking to these three teachers about how they were proposed to, how they feel about planning such a big event, what dresses they have in mind for their big day, and whether or not a destination wedding is possibly on the agenda.

Ms. Luebke’s fiancé, Sam, proposed to her at the Orange Circle — the place where they had their first date. “He proposed to me on Halloween, and the funny thing is, my attention was diverted by these women dressed up in Hocus Pocus costumes. He knew he had to catch my attention again, so he just dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. I started crying and said ‘of course!'” Ms. Luebke shared. Both Ms. Luebke’s and Sam’s families were waiting across the street to congratulate the two after the proposal.

A wedding is a pretty big event, so Ms. Luebke shared how she felt about planning and decorating the whole thing: “I am really excited to plan my wedding. Thankfully, I have planning experience with my job here at Rosary, so I’m not nervous at all! I’m fifty percent Italian, so I definitely want rustic Italian countryside vibes.” Although Ms. Luebke already has decoration ideas in mind, she doesn’t have any plans for a dress yet. She shared her plans for dress shopping and said, “I am trying to be open-minded because I’m not sure which style will look the best. I am going dress shopping next week, so I am really excited to see what happens.”

When asked about whether or not a destination wedding is on the agenda, Ms. Luebke shared her preference for a local, more comfortable vibe for her wedding. “We have already found our venue and it will be down near San Diego where Sam’s family and my extended family live,” she said.

Coincidentally, Ms. Rocha’s fiancé also proposed to her on Halloween, and she shared how he incorporated one of their favorite video games into the proposal. She explained, “We were planning on having dinner with my family and he snuck over a little early to reveal the ring to them. When we got home from dinner, he told me to check my digital mailbox on Animal Crossing, and I opened a letter that said, ‘Hope you don’t already have a ring!’ and I looked up from the game to see him on one knee, proposing.” Ms. Rocha’s and her fiancé’s families were waiting downstairs to congratulate the couple on the good news.

Ms. Rocha said she’s nervous and excited to plan her wedding and shared, “We are talking about dates, venues, and details when we have free time. The main thing we’ve thought about so far is having fall colors at the wedding and tasty barbeque as the food choice.” Similar to Ms. Leubke, Ms. Rocha has wedding decorations and details in mind, but she does not have a dress picked out yet. “My options are open for dresses and I have nothing particular in mind so far. I want to wait until the beginning of this coming year to really start dress shopping,” she shared.

Ms. Rocha has not ruled out a destination wedding yet, but she most likely wants her wedding in Southern California, where her extended family also lives. “I haven’t decided on a wedding destination yet, but I don’t want any family traveling too far. Most of my family lives in Southern California, so we will most likely have our wedding here,” she explained.

Ms. Rieder was also proposed to on a holiday, but her proposal took place on Thanksgiving. “My fiancé and I were with family and at a quiet moment when we were away from everyone, he popped the question. We met on Thanksgiving last year so it was really a full-circle moment for us,” she explained. Ms. Rieder is definitely excited to plan her wedding but shared how she feels overwhelmed as well by saying, “I love planning big events, so I am thrilled to start planning my wedding. I am feeling a little stressed by the pandemic, but I am definitely focusing more on the positives.”

For dress options, Ms. Reider is thinking of wearing something more simple and shared, “I haven’t thought about dresses yet but I definitely want something pretty and classic. I am very excited to go dress shopping soon.” Ms. Reider is still working out the details for where her wedding will be, but a destination wedding might be in store for her. “A destination wedding is definitely on our minds and we’re looking at Catalina or somewhere in the Caribbean. I’m also looking at my hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. There are still so many things to work out!”

This is a very fun time for Ms. Luebke, Ms. Rocha, and Ms. Reider as they get ready for their big day and a new, exciting chapter of their life. Make sure to congratulate these three teachers on their engagements the next time you see them at school.