Dec. 25 was not Rikki Higgins’ typical Christmas. Normally, the University senior’s family opens stockings together on Christmas morning. This year, the family decided to skip the tradition, so Higgins’ boyfriend, senior Michael Ford, packed her a stocking.
The two sat in Higgins’ living room next to the fireplace while she pulled hair scrunchies, lip gloss and M&M’s (her favorite candy) out of the red snowman-embroidered stocking. She then grabbed a candy cane that came with an attached diamond engagement ring. Ford asked her to stand, then kneeled and proposed.
“She seemed shocked when she saw the ring,” Ford said. “She didn’t know how to comprehend it at first.”
The two are part of a minority of engaged and married students on campus. In addition to worrying about graduating in June — she in psychology and he in geography — they are planning to buy a house and get married in December.
While they have complete support from family and friends, the couple has encountered some negative
reactions to their engagement.
“They say, ‘You’re too young. Why’d you want to get married, it hardly ever works out,’” Higgins said.
The two realize that marriage is a challenge, so they are attending premarital counseling. This is the first serious relationship for both of them.
Higgins, 21, and Ford, 22, are postponing their wedding date from August to December at the urging of family members.
Ford said he knew he loved Higgins and didn’t want to postpone their union too long.
“God’s telling you that she’s who you’re going to marry,” Ford said. “It’s really hard to put something
off like that when you know that’s who you’re going to be with for the rest of your life.”
Ford wasn’t the only one who knew the two were meant for
each other. His longtime friend, Higgins’ cousin Matt Gregory, introduced the two and saw the spark between them.
Although he acquainted them, Gregory denies his role as matchmaker.
“They’re both the nicest people I know,” Gregory said. “They were bound to run into each other.”
Their major disagreement about the wedding plans was over the alcohol for their reception. Ford wanted kegs, but Higgins hoped for mixed drinks, fearing that kegs would encourage overindulgence and look tacky. Doing what couples should do, they compromised: The kegs will stay behind the bar, where servers can pour beer and cocktails.
So what does the happy couple have planned for Valentine’s Day?
Absolutely nothing.
“I hate Valentine’s Day,” Higgins said, relating her dislike of the holiday to the pressure she felt when she was single.
Even though she now has a partner, she prefers expressing her feelings on any regular day.
“It’s more special if you do it on a day that’s not set aside for that,” she said.
Despite her aversion to Feb. 14, Higgins is energetically planning another date she’ll celebrate for many years to come: her wedding day. She attends bridal shows, looks for reception venues and has picked a church for the ceremony. Ford accompanies her to the shows but mostly observes, leaving the details to Higgins.
“All I have to do is show up on that day and I’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s all about her that day.”

Catherine Ryan is a freelance reporter for the Daily Emerald