Her father led her through the blackness, until the final letter was read, and the blindfold removed, revealing a familiar figure on his knee, surrounded by candlelight and petals of red.

Tatum Peeples (now Tatum Burdick)  became engaged to Mike Burdick Nov. 6, 2013. She has been married for six months. The story of her engagement involves 12 letters and an adventure through the city.

“My husband set it up so that my roommate, who was also getting married, and I went bridesmaid shopping,” Burdick said.  “There was a limo outside, and she asked for my phone and gave me my first letter. It said something like, ‘I hope you have a special day. I want you to be a princess.’”

Burdick said she first believed her mother had ordered the limousine for her “girls’ day.”

“Next, we went to a nail salon and met my other roommate,” Burdick said. “I got my second letter. Then we went to Saltgrass, where Mike (her husband) and I had our first date. We met my fourth roommate, Rachel, and she gave me my fifth and sixth letters.”

After Saltgrass, Burdick was taken to the mall to meet her best friend Lauren.

“I had bought her engagement shoes, so our deal was always that she would buy my engagement shoes,” Burdick said. “Mike had planned to buy me a dress and accessories, and so she bought me the shoes to go with the dress.”

Burdick was then taken to her grandmother’s house, which is where the couple had their first Easter together.

“There, we met my mother, and all of us got ready,” Burdick said. “I put on the dress that he bought me, and got my other two letters.”

From there, Burdick went to Butler’s, where she said she liked to hang out.

“There we met my sister,” Burdick said. “We hung out there, just kind of cooled down from the day and got my other two letters.”

However, before Burdick could guess what the next destination was, she was blindfolded.

“When we arrived, my father got me out of the limo and read me my last letter,” Burdick said. “He wasn’t crying, but he was happy and emotional. Then he walked me up to the front door, and Mike took off my blindfold.”

Burdick said the scene was covered with candles and roses. She said she was excited, but she and her family are not usually emotional.

“He got down on one knee, said some stuff and proposed,” Burdick said. “I said yes. After that was all done, we went inside, and he had both sides of our family there and all of our friends for an engagement party.”

Burdick said she did not expect the engagement, and she was blown away that her fiance could keep it a secret and organize the event.

“We had talked about a later engagement, and this was a few months earlier than I would have expected,” Burdick said. “I wouldn’t change it. Not at all. Well, I would change the outfit I wore in the limo.”