We're getting Married!

Taylor and I met because a mutual friend, Noelle, asked us to play sand volleyball at the University of Portland courts. When I arrived, Noelle wasn’t there yet, and I tried to make small talk with Spoon since he went to the University of Michigan. He had no interest in chatting with me, and I can only assume it’s because he was intimidated by my time playing JV volleyball. Over the summer, I think I won him over because he did eventually talk to me. He even asked me to play volleyball on a Nike intramural team (after Noelle declined because she was too busy). After the sunny days of beach volleyball, we drifted apart. In March 2020, I asked Noelle if Spoon was single and as a true wing-woman she found out (while embarrassing Spoon in front of a lot of his friends). After getting the confirmation that he was single, I suggested we get drinks. We had our first date at Goose Hollow Inn on March 10th. We are now getting married where we first met, University of Portland, and a lot of the friends who played with us that day are in the wedding. We’ve come full circle.

Let me start by telling you something about Kate: She HATES being tricked and surprised… It was March 2022 and we were about to go down to New Orleans to stay with Kate’s high school best friend, hostess with the mostess and now bridesmaid Taylor Mann. Kate’s mom, Jackie, was also going down with some of her friends the same weekend, and knowing it would be a big weekend, Kate’s sister, Sarah, bought a last-minute ticket which forced her to pull an all-nighter after a concert to make it for a short 36 hours. With her mom, sister, and good friend all there Kate was on high alert which only was exasperated when her friend Noelle asked if Kate wanted to get her nails done a couple of days before the trip. You never know, right?! Love, excitement, and to-go drinks were in the air as we conquered the Big Easy and on the last night, at a world-class French restaurant lit by candlelight, I took off my coat, set it down and could see Kate’s ringless hands fishing through it. The stage was set but the question never happened… Did I forget to do something? With Kate’s expectations all out of sorts, it didn’t seem like a big deal when the weekend after New Orleans her friend Noelle asked her if she wanted to go wine tasting with some friends. It also didn’t even cross her mind when the first winery on the stop was a winery we were members at. To top it off, I wouldn’t even be there because it was the first Friday of the NCAA basketball tournament (a day full of non-stop games). So while she was off getting ready for a fun day of wine tasting the real plan came into action. I had coordinated with her parents and sister to fly in the day before the wine tasting and had them meet me there early along with my parents, my grandmother, my friend (and groomsman) Collin, and Kate’s friend (and our amazing photographer) Rachel and her partner Diana. We laughed and drank wine as we set up the winery with printed out photos of me and Kate, flowers, and balloons. As Kate approached the winery, everyone went to hide in the back, leaving Rachel and me alone in the tasting room nervously waiting. Kate stepped into the winery and as she looked at the decorations the weight of the moment hit her. I popped out from where I was hiding with a perfectly curated speech in my head. But after taking her hands all I could get out was a “Hi Kate…” before I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. We instantly got on the phone to FaceTime her parents, all for them not to answer. She tried again and as she did our families walked out from behind the back. Kate was truly shocked to see who was behind her. We were both very grateful that we could spend our engagement day with our families and some close friends that made it all possible. And in terms of Kate getting tricked and surprised on her engagement day? Kate’s friend and bridesmaid, Carlee, said it best: It’s good for her.