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Sabrina Goins and Wille Colon: Engaged December 24, 2009.

Wille and I met in high school. He was actually the first friend I made after moving to Fayetteville, N.C., from Wiesbaden, Germany. We were very close instantly and started dating a year later. We were high school sweethearts and continued dating when I went away to college.

During college, Wille and I – along with some friends – went to Louisiana to spend a week working with disaster relief. On the way home, we all decided to stop at Myrtle Beach for a night. He waited until we were all sitting on the beach that night and pulled out a ring in front of the group and told me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Everyone was crying, including me, and after stumbling on my words for a minute, I said yes.

We were engaged for a year but decided to take a break because we were just really young.

When Wille and I got back together, I knew that if we were going to become engaged again, I wanted to be the one to ask. I bought him a ring and wrapped it in a large box and put it under the tree. On Christmas Eve, before we went home to see our families, we opened the presents we got for each other.

I opened all of mine first, then as he opened his, I think I managed to express how much I loved him through a cascade of tears. By the time he got it open, I finally asked if he would marry me. After asking me if I was serious about 10 times, he finally said, “Of course!”

I was a complete mess the whole time – there’s a reason men usually do the proposing!

Sabrina and Wille will be married on April 23, 2011.

Continue reading real wedding stories! Up next: 'Love and Remembrance'