How We Met
Our story is a little different than the average couple. Luke and I have known each other our entire lives. Literally- Our parents met in their young marrieds class at age 22 and have remained best friends ever since! Luke and I are 3 months apart and my mom was pregnant with me and was at the hospital the day Luke was born. We have a video to show it! Both sets of parents coincidentally had 3 kids, all around the same age and all six of us are extremely close to this day. Since the early ’90s, we have traveled together, spent big holidays together, anniversaries, birthday parties, and more. We are pretty much already family and have always considered each other family for many years! Because we grew up so close, Luke and I never really thought we would end up together.
Our family members always secretly wanted us to and hoped that we would but we ended up dating other people, going to different colleges, and creating our own paths. It wasn’t until we were both single, about to graduate college, and 3 years ago that we began to take our relationship to the next step. He admitted he had feelings for me, but the timing was never right. It truly was timing and the Lord orchestrating it for us to be together until we actually began dating. He is my best friend and someone who has been there with me from the very beginning.
We have been through so much together- joy, loss, celebrations, milestones, etc. Every sweet and sour memory growing up has Luke in it— birthday parties, awkward middle school stages (where we would hate each other, beat each other up daily, and literally had to eventually be separated), to high school, college graduation, and adulthood, he has been there and I wouldn’t change any of it. He knows me more than I know myself, and I know him more than anyone. I could not imagine being with anyone else. He makes me laugh so hard to where my belly aches, he has seen every ugly and pretty thing about me (hello puberty and teenage hormones) and has loved me through it all. When they say you should marry your best friend, they aren’t lying because it has been the best decision I have ever made.
How They Asked
Our proposal: Luke’s sister, brother-in-law, and nephew flew into Nashville to visit us the weekend of May 4th just to “visit”, and in my mind, I had a feeling something was going to happen because Luke was extra lovie and was acting that certain way where he was pretty much screaming “proposal” at me haha but I just went along with it!
On the day of the proposal, his sister and I went to get our nails done while the boys and his nephew went to get a hair cut (also, big hint haha). Our plans for the evening were to go to a wine vineyard in Nashville that was hosting a music event, so after our nails, we all got ready and headed that way! Instead of actually going to the vineyard, all 4 of us drove about 45 min from Nashville to these magical woods with the most whimsical enchanted looking forest.
At this point in the drive, I didn’t know where we were but I knew the chances of a proposal happening were very high because it didn’t look like a vineyard! Luke dropped his sister and me off at this Airbnb cabin next to the woods where I walked in to see my sister (who is my best friend) and his other middle sister (who is also my best friend) there to greet me! None of our families live in Nashville, so to see their faces there was a huge surprise!
They were playing my favorite Celine Dion music in the background, had a Chick-fil-a sweet tea (my favorite) ready for me, 3 different style dresses to try on, and a photographer capturing these sweet moments! I immediately started crying cause I’m a ball of emotions and it was all so sweet! They each got me ready for the next part of the proposal and walked me down this long pathway outside the cabin to where the parents were standing waiting for me. Again, I am crying even more because I am surprised to see them there and Luke knew just how bad I wanted them there to share this special moment with us!
After they hand me a picture and note of Luke and I as babies, they leave me to walk the rest of the trail where I see Luke standing under this beautiful Teepee tent with lights, candles, pictures of us, etc in the most magical, rainy forest and the place he asked me to marry him! It rained during this time but even then, it was all so sweet and whimsical- like out of a movie! I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day because it was all so intimate and so well thought out by him and our families! I am so thankful. After that, we all celebrated in the cabin with food, drinks, and desserts and our aunts, brothers, sisters, and cousins made the trip up to surprise us as well! Everything was perfect.