Emily Sterley & Michael Cragen
Wedding Date: January 22, 2011
How we met
Michael and I met at Lids at the Indianapolis Airport. I was at the airport for work, marketing to the different ticket counters. After I was done working, I had some time to kill, and thought I ’d stop in the Lids store for a Colts jersey. I entered the store, and saw Michael from a distance. My heart literally stopped when I saw him. He was wearing a black shirt with a black Colts hat and khaki shorts, and a grin from ear to ear. Michael approached me, and we stood and talked for 45 minutes. We immediately hit it off! We talked about where we went to church, about our families, where we went to highschool, and the conversation couldn’t have gone any better. I knew after just a few minutes that Michael was different than most men. He was Christ-centered, talked about how the Lord was using him in different areas, about his family and how close they were, and from that moment on, I knew this man was different.
After our conversation and not even buying a Colts jersey, I left the store with Michael on my mind! I left the store looking behind me, hoping he would follow me and ask me for my number. But, being the gentleman that he is, he did not ask for my phone number or even a date. He waited…
I thought about him the entire day and knew we had a special connection. I called my mom and said, “Mom. I met someone today!” She could hear something different in my voice: there was peace. I immediately started praying for Michael, and if we were supposed to meet again, that God would allow us the chance to see one another again.
I got home later that evening and had a facebook message from Michael. He looked me up that evening and heard the friend I was with call me Emily, and he remembered I went to Hope College. Michael looked up “Emily” and “Hope College” and I was the first person to show up on facebook, out of the hundreds of Emily’s at Hope! He then sent me a long message about how great it was meeting me, and that he would love to take me out for coffee someday.
I later replied that I would love to meet him for coffee, 1 week went by, and we had our first date!
Michael and I took the day off work on Friday, April 16th. We couldn’t wait to spend the whole day together, since most of our time spent together is after a long work day, we were so excited to spend a relaxing day off of work. He came over around 10 AM and made me breakfast, and we spent the afternoon downtown. We had a delicious lunch together outside and Michael took me shopping afterwards. We went to the Starbucks where we had our first date, and walked around the circle. I thought the day couldn’t get any better….but it did!!
Michael told me we had dinner reservations downtown, and that I needed to be dressed up and ready by 6. He told me he needed to run by the airport to pick up his last check that he had been waiting to pick up at Lids, and that it would only take a few minutes. I didn’t think anything of it, hopped in the car, and we headed to the airport. As soon as we got into the store, Michael said he’d be right back. He went to the back room to get his check and in the meantime, my favorite song was playing over the stereo called, “God Gave Me You” by Dave Barnes. Michael started walking towards me, and his hands were shaking. He pulled me in close to him and said, “Emily. Someone very special is here that wants to see you.” I looked behind me, and my Dad walked out from the back room with his camera in his hands! Tears flooded my face as I heard those sweet lyrics that “God gave me you for the ups and downs, God gave me you for the days of doubt, For when I think I’ve lost my way, There are no words left to say, It’s True….God Gave Me You.”
Michael began telling me the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard, and then, he got down on one knee, exactly where we first met and where we first talked. I looked to my left, and my Dad was there, capturing every moment with his camera. Michael then opened the ring box, and the most brilliant, shiny diamond ring was then taken out of the box and placed on my finger.
Michael and I hugged and kissed and cried together, and after we had our few moments, he told me he had one more surprise for me. He said, “Emily. I have to be honest with you. We don’t have dinner reservations downtown. Instead, we have reservations for 10, here in the airport!” He took my hand, and we walked out of Lids together with Dad beside us, and walked towards the Indy Brickyard Grill. I walked into the restaurant, and both of our families were there to surprise me! My mom, brother Grant, sister-in-law Sara, and Michael’s mom, dad, sister Carrie and his brother-in-law Daniel were all there sitting at a table waiting for us!
After we ate dinner together with our families, Michael and I wanted to have some time to ourselves and to call our friends and tell them the good news! We then went to The Cheesecake Factory (my favorite restaurant) and got cheesecakes to celebrate. What better way to end the night than with delicious cheesecake in a cozy booth!
It is unbelievable how Michael planned and organized this entire day. He was so thoughful, so detailed, and could not have been more wonderful about the proposal. I have been praying for a man like Michael my entire life, and my Savior has finally brought him to me. The long wait was so worth it! Michael gave me the proposal of my dreams, with a ring to match!
