I've read enough of these wedding blogs to know how they always begin - with the story of the couple! Well, Mark (the fiance) and I first met in May/June (I'm not for sure which month - is that horrible?!) of 2005. We had both just graduated from college. I went to Auburn University (WAR EAGLE!!!!) and he went to Birmingham Southern College (small liberal arts college in Birmingham, AL). We met at Roosters in Auburn, AL - it's a small music venue/chicken finger restaurant. Sounds classy...I know. :) But i used to work there while i was in college, booking bands for the "music venue" part of it. We were one of the only bars in Auburn that would book original music - most of the other places only booked cover bands...mostly 80's cover bands in fact. I had developed a love for music during my time in college and decided i wanted to make a career out of it, so my best options at the time were working for the University booking their entertainment (a'la concerts, comedians, etc.) and then this little gig booking local and regional musicians at Roosters (and trying to convince them that it was in fact a cool bar to play at...not just a chicken joint). So a band that i used to book called The Rewinds (from Birmingham, AL) were playing and I - as usual- was there setting up and running the sound board. The band didn't know that i was to be their "sound guy" so they were shocked and i think horrified when they found out that this "chick" was suppose to run their sound. They decided that it would be best if their friend that was with them that night run sound instead. I obliged and brought the "dude" up to the sound board. He didn't know anything!! He was asking which knobs were their vocals and drums mics, etc...needless to say i was a bit offended that they would rather have this guy than me. So i brushed him aside and set up the sound myself. He was kinda cute though how he was nervous about running the sound...and i believe he was also a little intoxicated by that point. He ended up pulling a chair next to my sound board and talking to me all night. At the end of the night he asked for my number and i gave it to him. He lived in Birmingham and was just down with the band to hang out. Out of shear coincidence I was planning to move to Birmingham after the end of that summer to look for a job. If nothing else, I figured that I had at least made a new friend for my new town.
Fast forward to later on that summer....we went out on our first date when i was in town visiting Birmingham. We had a great time...flat tire on my car and all. Shortly after, I moved to Birmingham and we would spend sporadic nights hanging out...we'd go to listen to music at different bars mostly. We were casually dating. We took it very slow - he was unsure as to whether he'd be staying in town or not because he wanted to pursue his dreams of playing music and i was unsure as to whether i would stay in Birmingham as well because i was having difficulty finding my dream job. He eventually made the move to Nashville and we left it totally open - we'd see how things worked out. Turns out...that's really what brought us together. We decided that we really did have something special and that we should start taking it a little more seriously. His time in Nashville was limited - 6 months. During that time I had found a job at a Music company in BIRMINGHAM. Yes, Birmingham. I didn't know that it even existed. But through some luck, some contacts, and my limited music business experience i found it. Mark moved back to Birmingham and shortly after we moved in together. Things were going GREAT.
Fast forward another year and a half.... we had been together for 2 1/2 years now and living together for 1 1/2. It's Valentines Day 2008 and we've been planning a cruise for March 2008, with that in consideration we decided to have a low key Valentines Day. He would cook dinner and we'd have a nice relaxing time at home. Well, when i came home from work I walked into a candlelit room filled with roses and filet mignon and lobster on the dinner table. Music was playing and Mark actually had on a nice shirt! Imagine my surprise. I still had no clue what was coming though. We ate dinner then he came around to my side of the table and was talking to me....it all began with "i have something to tell you". What?!?! "I lied to you. When i said i was at my mom's the other day helping her clean the basement i wasn't actually doing that....I was shopping." Okay....for what? And out comes the ring box from under the table where the leaf sets into it.....i lost it. He gets down on his knee, says tons of wonderful sweet things and asks me to marry him. I somehow managed a yes in between sobs. It was amazing. The 2nd most amazing thing about it....I had absolutely no clue. We had casually talked about marriage...but it was more so that we both just assumed we'd always be together...and marriage would eventually happen. We had never looked at rings. I had never told him or even dropped hints about it. This was totally on his own and from his heart. AMAZING. Oh, and if you're wondering what the #1 most amazing thing is...it's that I'm marrying my best friend and the man that love with all of my heart.
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