Presenting…our TOP 10 #EnzoaniRealBride2015 Sweepstakes Finalists!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TOP 10 FINALISTS IN OUR #ENZOANIREALBRIDE2015 SWEEPSTAKES!

This year, a record number of entries was submitted, and the competition was closer than ever, with so many beautiful stories posted to our Contest Gallery. After tallying Likes/Shares and reviewing every submission, the Enzoani team was able to determine this year's top 10 stories!

Without further ado, congratulations to our TOP 10 FINALISTS below! 

SHANELLE + JAPHIA

"My fiance and I met in primary school, and after re-gaining contact after matric, we began seriously dating. On the 28th of September 2013, Jaf convinced me to go on a business trip with him, and once we arrived to the Drakensberg - there was a hot air balloon ready and waiting for us. We spent 2 hours touring the Berg when he got down on one knee (I was in tears). He told me that he met the love of his life and couldn't let me go! Once the hot air balloon landed, our parents where there and we had champagne. It was magical - and completely unexpected. Having saved for a long time, we finally set the date for this September 2015, and my fiance and his family have offered to pay for the wedding. I did try on many dresses that were not within my budget but I want to look like a princess on the day, the one that he deserves. I am not sure how I got that blessed."

CARLY + SEBASTIAN

"On February 27th, 2015, my then boyfriend (now fiancé), Sebastian, took me to San Francisco for a "relaxing weekend getaway”… or so I thought. Little did I know that he had been planning to propose to me for over 6 months and decided to ask me to marry him at Baker Beach, a small beach next to the Golden Gate Bridge. He coordinated the trip and proposal with 23 (to be exact) of our closest friends and family and asked if they would be willing to make the trek to SF to celebrate the engagement with us. I found out later that everyone had been discussing the trip for months without me having the slightest clue. My fiancé had mentioned that he really wanted to go to this beach right next to the bridge because he’d heard from his friend that it had a great view. I had never been to the Golden Gate Bridge so I was thrilled that he knew of a unique spot to go see it. We arrived at the beach and I immediately saw several gorgeous sailboats and the mesmerizing bridge itself. As we walked closer to the bridge to take a picture Sebastian stopped, grabbed my hands, and got down on one knee. I honestly can’t even remember everything he said to me in that moment because I was so shocked and elated but I do remember him asking those four precious words, “will you marry me?” As I said “YES!” and leapt into his arms, my friends and family (all of whom traveled from Southern California and one who even flew in from Virginia) started running towards us cheering. I was extremely shocked and amazed when I realized that every single person who I loved witnessed the proposal. The fact that my fiancé coordinated to have so many people secretly travel hours to surprise me and celebrate with us was overwhelming. My fiancé was so thoughtful and detailed that he even coordinated for a photographer to be there to document the memories. To top the whole thing off, another photographer who happened to be on the beach at the time saw my fiancé proposing, ran over, and took a photo of us using an old Polaroid camera he had with him (photo attached). Sebastian had lunch reservations set for everyone at a beautiful restaurant after we left the beach and then spent the rest of the day together in the City by the Bay. I can absolutely say that I'm the luckiest girl in the world and it was the BEST day of my life. Not to mention the ring is STUNNING!"

COLLEEN + FERNANDO

"This past December, Fernando and myself went on holiday to Mauritius. Three days into our holiday we went scuba diving with some people I have never met. We did a stunning dive for 45 minutes, and at the end of our dive we came to a large coral rock. Fernando told me to look under it. There was an old, small treasure chest and as he pulled it out, he told me to open it... and inside was a sign: "Will you marry me" with THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RING ever! I was in such shock and disbelief, but of course I said yes! The best part of it all was that it was all captured on camera by the other divers that had been in on the plan all along. My best day ever!!!"

SURAYYA + AHMED

"Here I am with my Arabian prince. We met just over 3 years ago in the beautiful country of Tunisia. We started off as friends until we both felt more of a connection and things started to feel just right. This is when he proposed and introduced me to his beautiful family in Paris, I truly feel God has sent me a man I will love till the end. He makes me laugh, listens to my dilemmas and best of all has embraced my Indian culture and loves a good curry!! It's true, the best comes to those who wait, I wouldn't change my past, my present but definitely look forward to my future and cannot wait to write the next chapters of our life together <3 Who says holiday romances don't last, they are most definitely just the beginning....✌"

ERIN + TODD

"There's something you should know about me and Todd: we are total nerds. Instead of barhopping on a Friday night, you'll find us hosting dinner/board game parties. We don't get to host them as often as we'd like because he is stationed at Ft. Bliss while I am finishing school in Michigan. On March 6 of this year, I boarded a flight to visit him thinking that he was at work. He told me he'd arrange for a taxi to pick me up at the airport and that he'd be home by 5:30 or 5:45. As promised, the taxi was at the airport. But when I arrived at his apartment, I saw a sign on his table: "I made you a puzzle... just something fun to work on while you wait. Please start as soon as you see this." Next to it were small piles of puzzle pieces and another sign that read, "There may be several small ones that make a giant puzzle." Todd is always doing something romantic, so I wasn't suspicious at all when I started assembling the puzzle. I soon realized that there was a border with sweet messages from him surrounding a large white interior with black letters. Todd is also always doing something funny. At one point, I put together two Z's and thought "He WOULD leave me a puzzle just to say 'pizza in the fridge.'" But when I finished the puzzle, I saw that it said something quite different: "You are my puzzle piece." Todd had also hidden another message in the puzzle, numbered words that had to be read in order: "Surprise, I'm actually outside waiting for you." "He can't be home already," I thought. But just in case he was outside, I opened the door. I should have suspected something when I saw him in civilian clothes, but I was just excited to see him. He told me there was more to the surprise. I'm kind of a foodie (obviously... I thought the puzzle had the word "pizza" in it), so I thought maybe he had made dinner or we were going out for Mexican (yum!). Then Todd got down on one knee. He told me that we had always loved each other, but that God had only brought us together last year—how we would grow toward each other and toward God as we created a family. Then he said my full name and asked me to marry him. I always thought I’d cry when the love of my life proposed, but I was so happy all I could do was kiss him. It was perfect because it was so “us,” and it was beautiful because it was real. I am his puzzle piece, and he is mine. We fit together perfectly. (I later found out he wrote, “I liked it so I put a ring on it" on the puzzle's back. Keeper!)"

FRANCESCA + NICK

"I was the first person to meet Nick when he appeared for his interview at work. I answered the door, shook his hand and showed him to his interview room. He didn't get the job, but when the guy we placed did a runner after half a day, Nick was called back to start straight away. Our friendship quickly formed (as we were the only ones in the business under 40 years old). Nick would buy me silly things at lunch times like Smarties ice cream, chocolate treats and a Nike+ for my iPod. After he humoured me into thinking I was helping him out with his gym routine, he offered me a ride... on the back of his motorbike. After all of Nick's wooing efforts, I finally got the hint that he liked me and we've been together ever since. He later told me that he knew he'd marry me after he shook my hand. I still blush about that now. x"

SERINA + CLAYTON

"On a Wednesday he picked me up from work and told me to pack but that I must not ask him any questions. He showed me an email where he asked my bosses for leave but he blocked out all the important details. Well after continuous nagging he eventually told me we going to CAPE TOWN for my birthday .... We left that Thursday morning, everything was so perfect! That Saturday he took me to a restaurant and at 6pm there was a surprise flash mob and he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him, it was truly special! All that planning and I had no clue about Cape Town or the proposal…Best day of my life! Watch the video."

KRISTA + MEMNO

"Last January on a trip in Austria, my fiancée took me into the mountains. We were walking on the mountain, surrounded by snow and trees. It was foggy, there was snow everywhere and I told him I felt like I was walking through the set of  Chronicles of Narnia'. Suddenly in the middle of the forest we reached a small restaurant, where we were welcomed by the hostess. The sun was coming through and she told us that, before having lunch, we needed to walk a little further up the mountain to enjoy the beautiful view. When we reached the top, everything was covered with snow, it was completely silent, just the two of us, and my eye fell on something in the snow 10 meters away. When we walking towards it I discovered a little table, covered by a white table cloth and on top of it there were flowers and a bottle of champagne. When I turned around to look at my fiancée, he was already on his knees in the snow, telling me I have been a blessing to him the past 8 years that we are together, that I made him very happy and then asked me to marry him. Tears of happiness covered my cheeks, my answer was of course; "Yes, I'd love to very much!" in the meantime I was given the most beautiful ring. Back into the restaurant we were congratulated by the hostess. By the time we sat down the table to eat, the hostess entered and made an unexpected announcement in Austrian. She said: "Can I have everybody's attention, please!". "These two people just got engaged up the mountain, let us toast together, SCHNAPPS FÜR ALLE!" All the other persons in the restaurant were toasting on our engagement, with this typical Austrian drink, everybody started to give us their blessings and congratulations! These few hours were the most beautiful hours of my life so far!"

SAMANTHA + WESTLEY

"We decided to hold a small party for our 1 year celebration of living in our home together. This party had a dress up theme of black tie at the top and beach wear at the bottom. This party without my knowledge and 6 months of planning from my now, fiancé’s side, turned into an engagement party. From proposing to me in front of our parents, grandparents and family, to having an engagement cake that was hidden beneath a dummy cake to having got everyone I know involved was the most incredible moment of my life. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would say yes to the man of my dreams while wearing a red dress with beach gear. Cannot wait to marry him!"

DANA + JOHN

"My fiancé and I met during the summer of 2001 entering into high school. We dated on and off throughout high school and eventually went our separate ways. Little did we know, our paths would cross again in 2009 through a simple Facebook post. From that moment, we both knew that the love we had for each other was still there. We went on to graduate college together and have been inseparable ever since. On October 25, 2014, JT surprised me by picking me up from work with my bags packed and ready to go (little did I know what I was in for). We stayed at a hotel for a weekend and as we were fishing, something we always love to do, he secretly put a different lure on my pole (and set up his phone on a nearby bench to record the proposal) that said, "You are my greatest catch. Marry me?" As perfect as that was, he had more planned. The following day, he secretly made plans to stop at a winery on our way home. Again, to my surprise, our entire families and all of our friends were there to celebrate. The entire weekend was one I will never forget, and I am lucky I have it all to play back over and over forever."

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our wonderful finalists! We will be contacting each of you with a special message ~ Stay tuned for the announcement of the WINNER at 2pm PST today!