We're Getting Married!

Why Key West? Why not?! You know us, we like to have a good time. Our dream is to get married surrounded by our closest friends and family in a tropical paradise. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

The first day Casey and I laid eyes on each other was during the 2019 Chili Cook-off in downtown Kalamazoo. A friend of mine wanted to stop in to Principle to 'drop in' on some guy named Casey that she had her eye on ;) We popped in for a few drinks and dessert, then continued on with the cook-off. Fast-forward a few months and Casey and I had become really good friends. Seriously - JUST friends! We realized we had a lot in common and genuinely enjoyed hanging out together, usually trying to find some sort of trouble to get into. People would tell us all the time that we should date. We always told them they were crazy, because that was never going to happen (or so we thought). It all changed in March 2021. I have no idea what got into Casey but suddenly he was ready to be more than friends...and I wasn't opposed to it! We've been together ever since.

We were in Placida, FL visiting family and decided we should all rent a boat for the day and cruise around the waterways. We made a stop at Don Pedro State Park. Casey kept raving about this park and said they had the BEST beach to collect seashells. He was adamant that we all get out and go for a walk along the beach to find some. In the back of my head I'm thinking, "Really? Since when do you care so much about seashells?", but didn't think much of it beyond that. We were all walking on the shore for a while and eventually Casey and I separated from the others. As we were walking, Casey grabbed my hand and started saying all sorts of sweet things about how much he loved me and how great of a mother I was going to be (at this point I just thought he was being extra sweet because of the cocktail he had earlier). Then he said "Hey, I have to ask you something..." and the next thing I knew he was down on one knee holding up the most b-e-a-utiful engagement ring! I was in such shock that I don't remember everything he said, all I remember is him saying, "You're the best thing that's happened to me, I love you so much, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Of course, we both immediately started balling and I said "Yes, yes, YES!!" Then, as if the moment couldn't have been more special than it already was, I realized that a few of our family members witnessed the entire thing - my dad and Casey's mom were just a few yards behind us, followed by my step-mom, Doug, and my cousin Nancy just beyond them. The rest of the day consisted of a lot of champagne and celebrating! It was the best day ever.