Elisa & David: An Outdoor Wedding in Issaquah, WA

Guests who would not be able to attend the wedding of Elisa Griffiths and David Glenn most certainly did a double-take when they read the "decline" spot on the reply card enclosed with the couple's invitations: "No, I/we won't attend. The new phone book arrived and I haven't finished reading it yet. A dried sausage gift box will be arriving in the mail for you." So, how many boxes of dried sausages did they receive? "You know," laments the groom, "we thought we'd get at least a few. But we didn't get a single one -- go figure." THE BRIDE Elisa Griffiths THE GROOM David Glenn THE DATE August 25 The two became engaged after almost a year of dating. They had plans to travel together to Maui at Christmas when Elisa, who is a nursing student, would be on a break from classes. But David sensed that Elisa might be expecting a proposal during the trip, and so he decided to spare her the agony of waiting. The evening before Thanksgiving (chosen so that Elisa could show off her ring and share the good news with family the next day), David scattered a path of rose petals from the front door to the bedroom. Then he tied a gold ribbon to a single white rose, and attached the engagement ring (which he had designed himself) to the other end. He placed the rose next to a bowl filled with gardenias and hid the ring among the flowers. Elisa was delighted with the romantic mood when she arrived home, and when she picked up the rose to find the engagement ring dangling from one end, she was shocked. "It was a few minutes before I got a real, audible yes out of her," says David.