Kelli and Zach’s love story started when they met at Cru’s Winter Conference in Denver in December of 2017. One of Zach’s best friends, Renick, was dating one of Kelli’s best friends, Rene, and so Renick introduced them. But their interactions there weren’t much more than just a “hi, nice to meet you”. Then that next February Rene decided to throw a surprise birthday party for Renick in Nebraska and invited Kelli. It was that weekend that Kelli and Zach got to talk and Zach really wished they would get the opportunity to get to know each other better.
Kelli + Zach’s Love Story Greenhouse Two Rivers Wedding
San Deigo Summer
Zach was on staff with Cru at the time and so he knew he would be assigned to staff a summer mission somewhere. Meanwhile, Kelli had been accepted to go and student staff Cru’s summer mission in San Diego. Zach had staffed San Diego before and so it wasn’t at the top of his list, but the Lord had better plans and San Diego was where both Zach and Kelli ended up.
Zach quickly found out that Kelli would be there too and thought that this might be my opportunity to get to know her. (Was it ever!) They hung out basically all the time, allowing them the opportunity to really get to know one another.
First Dates
Zach loved seeing how much Kelli truly cared for those around her and how she had a deep passion for Jesus. She was also great at having fun, always being down for an adventure, and making him laugh. Kelli loved seeing Zach’s determination, quiet strength, and heart for seeing lost college students find Jesus. So after a few weeks, Zach decided it was time to ask her to go on a date.
Their first date didn’t go too hot, and they both felt awkward. Later that night, celebrating a friend’s birthday, they both quickly realized that it was mostly first date jitters that made things so weird. So Zack asked Kelli to go on a second date that night, to which she agreed. They both had an incredible time and later agreed that they both wanted to continue to pursue a relationship even as we moved back home.
Long Distance Love
Zach went back to Nebraska and Kelli went back to Missouri and so began the long-distance dating, which hasn’t been easy by any means, but has been so worth it. A couple of months after returning home Kelli was in Nebraska visiting Zach and he took her to one of his favorite places to get away and spend time with the Lord. It was here that she began to realize that she could really see herself marrying Zach.
That moment came for Zach about a month later as he was visiting her in Missouri and we went for a walk at a park and just got to talk about life. They talked about where we were in life and where we wanted to go, things we wanted to accomplish. Zach quickly realized that we had a lot of the same desires. So Zach knew that somehow, someway he wanted to marry this girl. In the coming months, their relationship continued to flourish and grow as they continued to learn more about each other.
Proposal
By the time the school year ended and Kelli graduated from Missouri State, Zach knew it was time to ask her to be his wife. August 2nd was chosen as the big day to ask and boy was Zach nervous. Zach skipped work and secretly made the 7-hour drive to surprise her. He convinced her that she had a nice dinner for work with the help of her coworkers and roommates. But in the end, he really had them bring her to a park where he was waiting and got to ask his best friend to marry him! She screamed a very tear-filled, yes!
Venue: Greenhouse Two Rivers | Highlandville, Mo
Flower: Sunday Flower Company | Springfield, Mo
Photographer: Complete Weddings + Events | Springfield, Mo | Sydney
Videographer: Complete Weddings + Events | Springfield, Mo | Will
DJ: Complete Weddings + Events | Springfield, Mo | Kellis
Complete Weddings and Events in Springfield, MO
If you’re planning a wedding in Springfield, MO, then you’ve landed at the right place! Now that you’ve said YES! to spending your life together, you have some exciting decisions ahead. At Complete Weddings + Events planning, wedding events are what we do best. Complete Weddings + Events, Springfield’s leading provider of event and wedding photography, videography, lighting, DJ services & photo booth rental.