Meredith and I met through mutual friends, and I knew the moment I saw her I was going to ask her out. Although, it wasn’t all that easy getting her to go out on a first date. I had to practically beg her to get ice cream with me at an ice cream shop in Morgantown, West Virginia. She made it seem like she was too busy when I had first asked, but I was relentless in asking. In all seriousness, it actually took some time to convince her to join me for ice cream. If this says anything, it took the entire trip back from Kentucky to Morgantown for her to say yes to just ice cream. When she finally gave in and said yes, I could not wait to pick her up. While enjoying ice cream and an engaging conversation, I could not take my eyes off of her. Yes, I was definitely smitten by her as she was so sweet and caring. After several hours of getting to know one another, I could confidently say our first date went well. She said yes to a second date, and the rest was history. I was falling more and more in love with my browned-eyed girl, to the point I started thinking she possessed all the characteristics of someone I could spend the rest of my life with. I recall thinking that she would be the most perfect wife and future mother. I truly believe we were built perfectly for each other. Meredith brings out the best in me in so many ways, and I could not imagine anyone else more perfect for me. She challenges me every day to be a better person and has instilled in me the true meaning of giving back. I never realized I was so capable of loving so deeply until I met Meredith. She has shown me what it is like to live life to the fullest and to dance like no one is watching. Mutually, we love to travel and have had the opportunity to travel together to so many places. We have gone to Mexico, Nashville, Las Vegas, California, Washington, DC, Florida, LA, Charlotte, Kentucky, and our travel list goes on. We love our adventurous travel excursions.

Jordan is spot-on, as the first time he asked me out on an ice cream date I was reluctant. It was a Sunday evening. I was really tired and honestly just didn't want to go... I kept making excuses throughout the day to which he kept saying "please come and meet me, it'll be worth it!" And let's just say, it was worth it! We went to Cold Stone in downtown Morgantown and spent a good 2-3 hours talking about everything under the sun. I'll always remember how he opened the car door for me, like the Kentucky gentleman he is. About a week later, Jordan asked me out for a dinner date at Tropics, and we instantly picked back up where we left off. I knew Jordan was the one when he took me to his hometown of Florence, Kentucky for the first time. He had the whole weekend planned out- from meeting his family and friends, to going to downtown Cincinnati to watch the Bengals practice and then some live music in Fountain Square. That weekend allowed me to see Jordan for who he is and where he came from. Jordan can walk into a room without knowing a soul and effortlessly make friends with everyone there. I love that we can do anything together and have the time of our lives. He is so sweet, thoughtful, and most of all, loyal. That trip definitely brought us closer together and we spent all of our time together thereafter. We love spending time together and especially enjoying the little pleasures in life, like grabbing a coffee while we walk around exploring new places. I have genuinely changed for the better because of Jordan. I love so much about him. He is funny, loyal, approachable, easy to be around, caring, selfless, and has a heart of gold. He is my support system, biggest cheerleader, and closest confidant. He’s taught me to not sweat the small stuff and to keep working toward my dreams.

Meredith and I decided to take a trip to West Palm Beach. She had been talking about a proposal and was wondering if it was ever going to happen. We arrived at the beach and had a wonderful, relaxing day together. On our first night, my only request was to eat dinner on the water. I had been so nervous all day. I could not get the proposal off my mind, as I wanted it to be perfect. We got to dinner and I am normally a big eater, but that night, I could not eat at all because my stomach was in knots. I was planning for the big moment to be right at sunset and it felt like the waiter was taking forever to bring us our check, making me nervous that I would miss the sunset moment I planned. After dinner, we proceeded to stroll down to a walkout that reached over the water. We sat down on a bench, I gave Meredith a kiss, and shared how much I love her. I got down on one knee and she stood up in shock. It was the most perfect moment in my life.

Our proposal is one of my favorite stories to tell! I had a few extra days off in September, so Jordan and I planned a little trip to the Sunshine State to visit West Palm Beach. A little back story- I had been wondering if, and when, Jordan was going to get down on one knee. We had been together for 3 and a half years, and I was praying he was wanting an engagement as much as I was. Well, it was the first day of vacation and we did everything you're supposed to do on your first day of vacation. We hit up the beach, had a cocktail, and spent the afternoon relaxing. A little closer to dinner, Jordan said that his one request was that we ate at a place on the water. That was easy! We chose this cute little tiki bar and grill right on the water. I was super bummed when he kept running to the restroom, complaining about a stomach ache. I was thinking “great, he got food poisoning on the first night of vacation…” After dinner, we decided to walk out onto this beautiful boardwalk. I sat down on the nearest bench. The next thing I know, Jordan is next to me getting down on one knee. I instantly stood up and started crying, saying over and over again, "are you serious?!" Needless to say, I was extremely surprised and excited. Best day ever!

We hope you have enjoyed our story, and we cannot wait to celebrate with our close family and friends on our upcoming wedding day. Love, The Future Mr. & Mrs. Jordan Oppenheimer