You first met “Whitney B” on Chris Soules’ season of The Bachelor, but Whitney’s love story didn’t end there. She went on to find her forever love post-reality TV and isn’t looking back. As the newest addition to our Blogger Bride crew, Whitney is embarking on her wedding planning journey sharing her favorite moments right here on Style Me Pretty! With Always Yours Events by her side, you can expect a whole lot of fun ahead as Whitney takes on the role of bride-to-be.
From Whitney… Hello SMP Brides! I am so excited that not only am I engaged but that I have the opportunity to share my wedding and planning with you over the next year. This is such an honor! I’ll be sharing it all: the good times and the stressful times, from beginning to end. And I’m sure I will have questions for you along the way too! Since this is the beginning, I want to introduce myself to those of you who might not know me, and re-introduce myself to those who haven’t seen me in a while!
Some of you may remember me from a little show called “The Bachelor” I appeared on a couple years ago where I got engaged on national television, only to call off the engagement a short six months later- yikes! Boy, was that a whirlwind. I am frequently asked, “Was it real” and “Are you happy you did it?” Yes, it was real to the extent any reality TV show can be and yes, I’m glad I did it, but… I’m one million times happier now that it’s over. While it might sound cliché, I did truly go on the show to find love – weird, right? It wasn’t for the fame, not for endorsements or money, not to launch my career, or to gain social media followers, but truly for L-O-V-E. Shortly after the show and my relationship ended, I went back to my normal life. Back to Chicago and to my career as a fertility nurse. And wouldn’t you know, that is where I found it. Found the thing I had been longing for…I found him, the one, my love, my Ricky.
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I wish I had some fairytale way that we met, like in Whole Foods or at the gym, but I don’t frequent either. I resorted to what any other girl would do in this situation and downloaded the dating app, “Bumble.” Within the first couple weeks of signing up, I see “Ricky, 29, Chicago, Regional Sales Manager.” I immediately thought, “This could be my own Michael Scott.”
Indeed I swiped right and not too long after, I got the notification that we had matched. If you are unfamiliar with Bumble, once a “match” is formed, the woman has 24 hours to make contact with the guy until the match vanishes. Although I like the idea of having the upper hand, and I’m very rarely at a loss for words, ladies, let me tell ya, it is stressful to have this pressure on you! Who would have thought that something like this would cause me such anxiety?! Well, somehow, someway, I found the courage to reach out and soon after I realized that this guy was something special. Within days I texted my friend, “I think I met the guy I’m going to marry, although I’ve actually never met him”
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About a week or so later, I got to lay eyes on my future husband for the first time, 9/24/15…I’ll never forget it! That night I experienced my last first kiss, more laughs than I had laughed in months, a few butterflies, but most importantly, I got to be myself; no façade, or image I felt I had to keep up with, truly just me- flaws and all; I’ve never felt more free. Before I knew it, days turned into weeks, weeks to months; and those months continued to build until our time together became the foundation to our very strong relationship. Not only our relationship but the relationship we had with one another’s families.
With that being said, it was not uncommon that on 7/15/16, Ricky’s sister reached out and asked if I wanted to have a girls night with she and her mom since Ricky would be traveling for business with his dad. I love girls nights- I was in! Ricky’s parents had recently relocated to downtown Chicago, so the plan was to meet there for some wine before we headed out to a nice dinner in the city. When I arrived to the condo, I opened the door to see candles everywhere! My first thought was “Wow, they really planned an interesting girls night!” HA! I never imagined this would be THE night; the night I was going to become the future Mrs. Angel. But as the door shut behind me, I heard the most comforting voice of a guy who was supposed to be in Philadelphia. To say that I was stunned is a complete understatement.
I wish I could remember every word that he said and commit it to memory, but we were both so excited that neither of us remember! What I do know is that in that moment I was the happiest I had ever been. My only wish was that my friends and family, my team, my people, could have been there to enjoy this moment with us! Well, guess what? Ricky didn’t skip a beat.
When we walked into the room to see Ricky’s parents, I turned the corner to see the best cheering section any girl could wish for. As my eyes went from one person to the next, and the next, and the next, memories began flooding my head. Each of these people played a major role in the woman that I am today. These are the people that even in the darkest times, never wavered, and that day was no different. They traveled long distances, took time away from their jobs and children to be there on one of the most pivotal days in my life—so, to each of them…THANK YOU!
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And to my hubby-to-be, I’ve said it before, and I will say it a thousand more times, but thank you for being YOU and loving me for being ME! So this is where the next journey begins…my wedding planning journey. Again, I am so excited to share what I have in store for this celebration. I have worked diligently over the past several months to build the best team possible to execute the most unique and personal wedding possible! Please join me over the next year as I introduce you to each of them and explain how, as a team, we are putting together one amazing day!
Photography: Carly Michelle Photography | Wedding Planning: Always Yours Events | Bride: Whitney Bischoff | Makeup Artistry: Gabrielle Raguso | Sunkissed Skin: Glo Airbrush Tan