Amber & Nate’s Love Story
How We Met…
In 2014 I was finishing up my Master’s degree in Nursing when I decided to get my very first tattoo. I was going through a lot of trials and triumphs in life and wanted something that would signify my faith, hope and love. I decided on a peace dove. I picked out my dove on Pinterest and waited 4 months before booking my appointment to make sure I really wanted something branded on my body. My brother in law, Tyler, recommended I go to his buddy Nate. Without me showing Tyler the tattoo I had picked out, he grabbed his phone and pulled up Nate’s Instagram and shows me the exact tattoo I had decided on. I figured that had to be a sign so I called Nate’s shop and made an appointment. Tyler didn’t tell me how handsome Nate was so I showed up to my appointment in gym clothes and a messy bun. Apparently that didn’t stop the sparks between us. There was definitely a lot of flirting to distract me from the pain. My sister came with me to my appointment and suggested Nate and I should come out for drinks that weekend with her and Tyler. It goes without saying that date was the first of many and two and a half years later we tied the knot.
Dating Life…
Nate and I are always on the go. We love to try new things and see new places. A friend recommended we visit Dogwood Canyon. The park has the most beautiful scenery and it is full of waterfalls and streams. After spending a day riding our bikes along the paths and enjoying a delicious lunch at the restaurant overlooking one of the waterfalls, Nate took me ring shopping. The next 6 weeks were torture waiting on the actual proposal.
How he popped the question…
Nate took me back to Dogwood Canyon for the proposal. I was half expecting it since he doesn’t plan anything and he had our entire day planned but I tried to act like I didn’t know it was coming. We rented bikes again and stopped at all of the waterfalls to take pictures and admire the scenery. I kept waiting for him to get down on one knee in front of the beautiful landscape but after taking a picture or two he’d hop back on his bike and continue down the path. When we returned our bikes and headed into the restaurant for lunch I was sure it wasn’t coming and he was planning the proposal for another day. But he had something else up his sleeve. Nate had my family as well as his family waiting in the restaurant for us and as we got to the table he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. (He had remembered that I had wanted people to be around when he proposed so they could take pictures.)
The Big Day…
We wasted no time planning our wedding and picked a date less than 7 months from the proposal! We decided to get married at the Veridian since it is a central location that was spacious, beautiful and included a balcony. Finding my dress was one of the easiest parts of the planning process. I had my mom and all of my bridesmaids with me for the dress shopping. I had booked appointments at four different bridal salons and ended up canceling the last three appointments because I said yes to the dress on the first and only dress I tried on. (Norman’s Bridal Salon; dress was made by Essence of Australia) For the ceremony we wanted to keep some things traditional but we wanted it to be as unique as possible. We decided to write our own vows but to also incorporate some of the traditional verses. Writing our vows was a lot harder than we expected and we both found ourselves up until midnight the night before the wedding finishing them up. We also decided instead of a unity candle or sand that we would literally tie the knot. I wanted to do something different where we could incorporate Nate’s two kids. The four of us, as a family, braided the rope and tied a knot. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12. We wanted to make sure our reception would be fun and something our guests would remember so we performed the Dirty Dancing “Time of Our Lives” dance. I enlisted COMPLETE weddings + events to provide photography, videography, DJ and photo booth services and was an amazing service for all my wedding needs! From start to finish our wedding day was the best day of my life.