A group of guys and I thought it would be funny to head to a local thrift store to buy some “dress clothes” for CSB/SJU’s sophomore formal dance in March 2015. I thought we were just dressing up like idiots as a joke and to have a good time with the guys. One of my buddies and now groomsman, Mitchel Niehaus, asked me if I would be his “wingman” and help him talk to a Bennie he was interested in. This Bennie turned out to be one of Sarah’s friends and now bridesmaid, Arie Truesdell. Lucky for me, Arie had a very pretty wingwoman of her own – Sarah Clark. The four of us had a blast together before Mitchel and I went back to Sarah’s and Arie’s apartment with some of their friends to sing karaoke. I was definitely crushing on Sarah on that 2am bus back to SJU with Mitchel. Sarah and I continued to be in contact and see each other occasionally for the rest of the semester. Shortly before move out, Sarah told me she planned on studying abroad the following fall and was not looking to carry a relationship into that. I was bummed out, but we had only been seeing each other for a month or so. That was that until I got a text from Sarah mid-summer asking if my buddies and I still planned to go to Country Jam, a country music festival in Sarah’s hometown. I was excited by the idea of seeing her but didn’t think much of it. We spent some time together at Country Jam that July of 2015, but again, that was that until Sarah left for her study abroad trip beginning in Rome, Italy. I got a text from one of Sarah’s friends on her trip, Abby Groves, in November of 2015. Abby asked me if I still had feelings for Sarah, to which I said I had some last spring but had since let it go. Abby indicated that Sarah may still be interested and suggested that I should reach out to her. I decided to do so, and here we are now. Abby texted me and sent me pictures of Sarah throughout the duration of their trip, pushing the process along (thanks, Abby).

Sarah and I went on our first official “date” following her study abroad trip pretty quickly after she returned to St. Joe in February of 2016 – I took her ice fishing on Stumpf lake on SJU’s campus. As they say, the rest is history. I could write forever about the innumerable ways Sarah has made me a better and more complete person over the years, but one thing I especially can’t get enough of is the value she puts on building and sustaining relationships. We are so excited to share this special day with all of you. June 5 cannot come soon enough!

When I met Tim, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a brown tie, corduroy khaki pants and velcro white New Balances to our college sophomore formal. Suffice to say, it took my friend Arie telling me he was into me for me to notice him. Tim and I were both wing(wo)men for our friends at the formal (don’t ask us to be match makers – we were unsuccessful) and the night ended with the most fun karaoke I’ve ever been to. After karaoke we primarily saw each other in groups on the weekends. The first thing that really stood out to me about Tim, and when I first considered there might be potential for more than friendship, was when he came over to my dorm to pick up sunglasses he forgot. We sat and just chatted for a long time. It was so easy with him and I never had to wonder or question what he was thinking, and he was always so thoughtful. Unfortunately, that semester I was not interested in a relationship as school was intense, I would spend the summer in North Dakota, and I was studying abroad the next fall. So I put the brakes on things, although we kept in touch a bit over the summer and saw each other at Country Jam. I left for study abroad fall of my junior year and we lost contact for the most part. However, as my return to the US approached, I started hearing more from Tim. Unbeknownst to me, our mutual friend Abby Groves (who I was living with while abroad) had been sending Tim pictures of me and interrogating him about his interest in me. Well, her tactics were effective. On Thanksgiving I got what I thought was just a friendly text that Abby promptly snatched up, showed the entire group and informed me it was not something he would send to “just a friend.”

We talked until I returned and went on our first date the night I got back to campus (Texas Roadhouse, still our fave). Tim claims our first date was actually a month later ice fishing. We still haven’t come to an agreement on that one. He gave me a letter on Valentines day that he wouldn’t let me open for a month. When he finally did, the letter inside was one officially asking me to be his girlfriend and one of the most thoughtful letters I’ve ever received. Although he was a bit awkward when we first started dating, he was so sweet I couldn’t say no. Fortunately, both his style and nervous awkwardness have drastically improved since we first met, and I cannot wait to spend forever with him 😊