We are getting married!

We met like all single people seem to these days...online :) Here's how we each tell it: Amanda: I'd been online off and on for a while looking for a decent guy. After many bad dates, odd dates, and decent dates that just didn't go anywhere, I decided to try a new site and I said I'd give it a week. Eric was the third guy I met and I put off meeting him for a little bit because I was studying for a big certification test for work. Several days of texting and phone calls later, I broke my rules of just a coffee date (so I could cut and run in case he was a weirdo) and I agreed to a full dinner date. He somehow talked me into going bowling with him after and then into a few more dates and the rest is history....well until we broke up and got back together but that's another story.... Eric: I swiped right. Well technically that's the case, but after texting and talking I decide to ask for a date. She agreed and I picked a place to go and after about 30 min in, I knew I wanted to go on a second date. We went bowling after dinner and she broke my Tahoe (lol) but I knew I still wanted to date her.

So this is probably a weird thing to add to a wedding website but its important to us and why certain dates are important... Amanda knew Eric was a good man and liked him. So she broke up with him. Yep. That's how she works sometimes. Eric said he was determined to not give up and win her back. What actually happened was probably the best thing for them; they were able to establish a friendship. Amanda knew he really liked St. Patrick's Day and so she invited him to join her and some friends at the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day in Hot Springs. He agreed despite her telling him a million times that this wasn't a date. The two had a great time and now the rest is history.... Fun fact #1: Jennifer Watts spoke the famous words of: "you don't have to marry him, you can just date him" after lots of girl talk about this issue. Fun fact#2: Eric likes to refer to this St. Patrick's Day as the day Amanda came crawling back...

Eric: It started on my first trip to San Antonio when I had planned to ask Amanda's dad to marry her. He said yes. I had planned to ask her in March at the St. Patrick's Day Parade which marked one of our first dates after the break up. Many months of planning and a ring bought, my plan went into motion. I contacted many friends and family to meet us in Hot Springs. Amanda thought we were all just going for the weekend to have fun at the parade. After a day of distractions and horse racing, and avoiding family and friends who were around town. We met our friends at 4pm in front of the Quapaw Bath House. Amanda thought it was just to meet for the parade and hadn't caught on to my plan. As she walked up, I got down on one knee and had a large speech planned but with my emotions running so high, all I could get out was "will you marry me". She said yes and I have shamrocks on my head. Amanda: As you can tell from my outfit, I had zero idea any of this was planned. As I walked up to the meeting spot, I see our group of friends but then I saw my brother and thought oh that's weird. Then I see Eric and he's crying and I'm thinking something is wrong until he gets down on his knee. I'm pretty I said "I'm wearing shamrocks" before I actually said yes. There were lots of cheers and hugs. My brother had my parents on video to be a part of the moment. It was so sweet how much thought he put into the day and the ring. He had taken stones from his grandmother's and great grandmother's rings to make a new ring for me and proposed surrounded by many of our dear friends and family.

As you can see, St. Patrick's Day has been pretty significant for us. We are getting married on the Saturday before for convenience for friends and family who are traveling and very likely on Sunday evening, we will be at the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade watching Ralph Macchio (the Karate Kid) lead the festivities as we celebrate our first day as husband and wife. We are so happy you are celebrating with us in our happiness!