Wedding Date: March 14, 2015
Ceremony: A&M United Methodist Church
Reception: The University Club at Texas A&M University
Photographer: Ryan Price Photography
Flowers: Tricia Barksdale Designs
Hair: Celebrity Spa & Salon
Like most love stories, Jonathan and I were brought together by a series of fortunate coincidences. Both of our families come from a military background and happened to live in Texas during our senior year of high school. Even though we both had hoped to go to Ivy League schools, Jonathan picked Texas A&M after catching Aggie fever from spending the weekend in the dorms, and I picked A&M for scholarships. We both enrolled in Honors Calculus and met each other the very first day of college. When I pulled up next to his spot, it was love at first sight. Just kidding! It actually took us quite a while to get here. We started out as study buddies, then we were friends, and then things got complicated before we finally figured it out. If you ask Jonathan, our first date was the Nebraska vs. A&M game during freshman year, and if you ask me, it occurred almost a year later on my birthday. Our relationship progressed slowly and with many turnarounds during undergrad. After I graduated, I spent a year in Switzerland on a Fulbright Fellowship, and during our time apart, we grew as individuals and reflected on where we had been. When I returned to Texas, we gave the relationship a better, more mature try. Two years into the renewed commitment, Jonathan planned the perfect surprise proposal. I needed portraits for my Master’s thesis defense, so Jonathan arranged with one of his friends to be my photographer with a little detour at the end. After photos by the Bush library, the friend convinced me to take some more by the Academic building. When we arrived, some people were playing with light sabers in Jedi robes by the Century Tree, which intrigued me, but it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve seen on campus. Then everything snapped into place. The photographer ran off, the Jedis popped into a saber arch configuration, and Jonathan started leading me toward the Century Tree. When we got close enough for me to realize I knew the Jedis, I started crying before passing under the arch, and Jonathan asked me to marry him under the boughs of that ancient tree. Being A&M, a crowd had gathered, and there were cheers all around when I said yes.
Two more years and a lot of planning later, Jonathan and I got married on March 14, 2015, the most special Pi day of the century (Pi = 3.1415…). Friends and family from around the world joined us to celebrate our union. The day was full of joy and laughter, especially when our little ring bearer screamed “No!” when it was my time to say “I do.” Our journey to the altar was much longer than normal, but our experiences have laid the foundation to continue to enjoy and fight for life together.