I Knew She Was “The One” When…

Ahhh! Another one of our beautiful iDates of the Week is now iEngaged! That’s Lindsey Waddy — we featured her in a double iDate with her BFF William Sledd awhile back. Lindsey now lives in Houston where the very handsome Ernie Bainbridge proposed to her at Walnut Bend Elementary school, right in front of all the kiddies!

The two are gettin’ hitched Nov. 20 of this year. Woo-Hoo!

Clearly, Ernie is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that out of 1,400 entries, Ernie is in the top 16 finalists in Bride’s Magazine Groom of the Year contest:

The contest began today — it’s a March Madness bracket-style competition where Ernie goes up against one groom-to-be each week. Voting for each round lasts for one week for a total of four rounds.

So cast your vote — you’ll see him on the right, second fella down.

The winner wins an amazing seven-night honeymoon to one of five secret resorts!

How did Ernie get this far in the contest? He had to answer two questions: “I knew she was The One when…” and “I am groom of the year because…”

Voilá, his answers:

I knew she was “The One” when…
I became “Sleepless in Houston.” Nothing about our love story is ordinary! After coming across Lindsey in a video on YouTube, I thought she was the most adorable thing ever. So I sent her a message, telling her exactly that. We began e-mailing back and forth, and it felt like we’d known each other for years. I found out she lived in Kentucky, so I felt like Tom Hanks from “Sleepless in Seattle” when I found myself wondering if someone I’d never met, who lives halfway across the country, could be my soul mate.

Well, the answer is…yes!

After a month of e-mails, and eventually phone calls, I was on a plane to see for myself if she could be my own Meg Ryan. I quickly found out she was The One. After dating long-distance for a year, she moved to Texas to be with me. I can’t wait to marry her! I’m so lucky to have met the girl from Kentucky!

I am Groom of the Year because…
I’m an elementary school teacher who used his entire school to propose to his fiancée. Soon after Lindsey moved down here, I started thinking about how I would propose to her, and I knew I wanted the students to help. Lindsey helps out around the classroom sometimes, so when I asked her to come by and meet my new students the first week of school, she did not suspect anything.

When she arrived, she was escorted to the common area, and when she got to the perfect spot, I cued 80 kindergarteners to walk down the hallway toward her, each holding a flower. They made a huge circle around her, as she looked around, confused.

Then, one of my students walked down the stairs and gave her a bouquet of roses, telling her they were from Mr. Bainbridge. She started crying at this point. Next, I walked down the stairs and made my way to the middle of the circle. She was giggling and crying at the same time, as I told her that I wanted to continue going on dates with her for the rest of my life.

I got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me. She said, “Of course!” as the entire fourth grade threw confetti on us from the second-floor balcony, and all the teachers and students that had gathered around us clapped and cheered. Also, someone at the school district heard what was going to happen, and they sent a crew from their television station to film the proposal, so we have the whole thing on video!

I teach in a community where positive male role models are lacking, so it was good for the kids to experience the proper way to treat a lady. They loved being a part of the proposal, and they all ask if they are invited to the wedding! Because I am a teacher and don’t make a lot of money, winning this contest could give my future wife the honeymoon she so deserves!

OMG! Super cute! Facebook friends, be sure to join the Vote for Ernie group.

Good luck, Ernie and Lindsey!!!