How and or where did you meet?
Our families have had a connection to each other since before we even knew about each other. Alex's brother Nick had been out to the my parents farm many times prior to our first encounter. Anyways, one day there was a fire out in Eldridge that was moving quickly towards land that Alex's grandmother Audrey was renting a hay barn out to my parents. Once we get out there, the fire department of Eldridge had came out, and the fire was rapidly spreading towards the hay barn. The only options there really was, was to back burn the fire so that it stops spreading in the direction of the barn. Well the Firemen did not like this idea, but it needed to be done, therefore it was done. After all of this, a conservation agent comes out, and brings a deputy out with him. One thing led to another, and the Conservation agent, who was upset about the back burn, has the deputy tell us that we need to get off the road, so we stepped in the ditch, which was our land. The conservation agent then claims that he feels threatened by all of us in the ditch, and the deputy ends up arresting someone and putting them in the car. Anyways, during all this hectic affair, at some point Alex had seen Chelsea, and Chelsea saw Alex. That was all that happened at the time. It was quick, it was short lived, and it was just in passing. The following year, when school starts back up, Alex was a freshman in high school and I was a sophomore. One day at lunch, Alex notices a girl that he knew he had seen/known from somewhere. Alex approached me and they found out that it was from the fire incident. Within 4 months of that first real conversation, Alex had asked Chelsea to go to a dance with him, and then also to be in an official relationship.
How did you get proposed to?
After around 8.5 years of a great relationship, Alex decided it was time to finally pop the question. He had his friend Gus order fortune cookie customized to say "Chelsea, will you marry me?" and Alex planned a big sushi dinner at a place known for their massive wooden sushi boats. A week before the dinner, Gus told Alex that the fortune cookie had been back ordered and would not make it. Alex was rather upset about it, but luckily Gus pulled something together, and found out that if we ordered a box of 50 customized fortune cookies, all with the same saying in them, that we could have it shipped over night. So we were back on. Another issue came about when Alex realized that the place did not serve fortune cookies, so we had to find a way to sneak them in, with me sitting there, and give them to the serving staff, explain it, and make it seem natural. So Gus shows up to the dinner, and has to 'use the restroom', AKA give the fortune cookies in his pockets to the waitress and explain the entire situation in a very small corner by the restrooms. So we make our order, our mega boat of sushi comes out, and we all had a great time eating the flaming dragon rolls, and other varieties of sushi. At the end, our waitress brings out our check, and our custom made fortune cookies she was handed earlier. When I started picking up the fortune cookie, Alex got up as if he was going to go use the bathroom, so he could be behind me when i read it, and could be in the right position, that he had stressed and planned out over time. Here is where another unexpected event occurred. Every time we went for Chinese, and fortune cookies came, we opened them IMMEDIATELY, but not this time. I picked mine up and Alex starts to get up..... I then set it down and starts packing the to go boxes. Alex awkwardly sat back down and claimed he didn't have to go anyways, this was one of the most awkward, yet memorable moments in my life. So I then opens the cookie, and looks over and see Alex is on his knee and ready.
What was your favorite memory from your wedding day?
Because of covid we had to cancel our big wedding day that we had been planning for almost 2 years. We ended up just having a small intimate ceremony with just our parents, siblings, and grandparents. There is a bluff over a river on the land Alex's grandma owns and my parents rent from her. We ended up the week before cutting a trail through the woods to a cleared area and having our ceremony there. And then going back to my parents for a meal. And after that we were surprised by some of out friends and family gathering to cheer for us as we drove by them. So my favorite memory would probably just be everyone still coming together to make it happen and make it still special for us.
What vendors did you use at your wedding?
Photography: four 2 north photography
Videography: sweno visual
Hair and makeup: Lindsey Miller
What was your experience like at Normans Bridal?
It was amazing! I only went in to look around and Liz picked out several dresses for me and I think I only tried on 5 before I found the perfect one!
