How We Met
I first met Evan in 2006 when I went down to Virginia Tech to visit my older brother, Patrick. We were introduced at the football game, and Evan was completely decked out in full Hokie gear. He had his whole body painted maroon and was wearing a cape he made out of an orange XXL t-shirt. We hung out on and off for the rest of that day, and at the time, I had no idea I was meeting my future husband.
I was a shaggy-haired freshman in college when Kelly was visiting her brother with a mutual friend when they came to my dorm room. I’m not sure what impressed her more: my deep stash of dining hall ketchup packets and sauces or my roommate’s “What homework?” animal poster that I wish I could say was hung sarcastically.
Fast forward a year– I have officially become a Hokie and I was as obsessed with my school and VT football as Evan was when I first met him. Evan was in the same fraternity as Patrick and, since older brothers love hanging out with their younger sisters, I acted like we were kids and hung out with him and his fraternity most weekends. Evan and I became good friends very quickly, spending many weekends together partying. Towards the end of college, Evan and I became a lot closer.
We talked all the time on AIM – sometimes for hours – about all the important things: dino nuggets, football tailgates, movies, and our classwork. Before football games, I would go over to her apartment early in the morning where we would do screwdriver shooters and get McDonald’s breakfast on our walk to the tailgate.
Once, after Kelly told me she had never received a Valentine’s Day gift, I bought her a gift bag full of candy, chocolate, and a movie we had talked about watching – but I also got her roommate a gift bag so Kelly wouldn’t become suspicious that I like-liked her.
It was about then that I came to realize how much I had fallen for Kelly.
Our First Date
It’s hard to nail down a “first date” because Kelly and I were such good friends for so long. Much of the buildup to the start of our relationship was spent ambiguously toeing the line between friends and “friends.”
When our conversations got increasingly flirtatious, and our friends understandably exasperated, I finally worked up the nerve to ask Kelly on an actual date. We went to Outback Steakhouse (the finest dining establishment in Christiansburg). Or was our first date to Arby’s? I only remember both involved french fry incidents – which Kelly is sensitive about, so ask me at the reception and I’ll share the stories with you.
Our first official date was to Outback Steakhouse in Christiansburg in March of 2010. Evan had asked and I excitedly said “yes!” but I could feel myself coming down with some type of bug.
I was feeling terrible, but was so excited to go out with Evan that I didn’t want to blow him off at the last minute. As we sat at dinner, I began to feel worse and worse. I wasn’t really hungry, so I ordered cheese fries as my meal (a healthy dinner for someone who is sick, I know).
The fries came out and, honestly, I just could not eat more than a few without wanting to die. I threw away almost the entire plate and politely asked Evan if he could take me home. Later, I found out I had a fever of 102 degrees and was sick for a week.
Evan was so worried that I bailed on the date so quickly and that I didn’t see him much over that next week that he thought I wasn’t interested and wasn’t sure what to do. Fortunately for me, I got over my illness and our relationship began to grow.
A few months later, Kelly and I went to my fraternity formals as dates. Once she saw my dance moves, there was no turning back.
The Proposal
Read the full story of the proposal here
Why We’re Getting Married
Why am I marrying Evan? I mean, have you seen him?? Not only does he have stunning good looks, but he is the perfect balance for me. Evan knows how to calm me down when I get completely stressed or freaked out about something that is usually trivial. He knows how to make me laugh at all times.
Although we’re similar in many ways, he helps to open my eyes to new things in life that I would never have any knowledge of. I love his humor, energy, killer dance moves, how close he is to his family, and how loyal he is to his friends. He is basically the perfect guy, and I was lucky enough to snag him.
With Kelly, everything feels right. Our personalities overlap in ways that we enjoy so much of life together, but there is also enough unique to our individual selves that we have different perspectives, ambitions, and adventures. We balance each other. Where I can be impulsive, bombastic, and anxious, Kelly is often cautious, modest, and relaxed. I admire many of her qualities: work ethic, loyalty, and slothiness. And, of course, she’s absolutely beautiful with a charming smile and loving blue eyes.
Before I started dating Kelly, I distinctly remember telling a good friend of mine that if I were to ask her out, I would probably end up marrying her. He responded, “OK?! So do it!” At the time, Kelly and I were such good friends and that history of companionship is our foundation. No relationship is perfect – you don’t spend eight years together without disagreements – but Kelly is perfect for me. That’s why I’m marrying her.
I wish we had the time to share all of our favorites stories with you. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in several of them and have loved us, encouraged us, supported us, and been an integral part of our lives and our relationship together.
We hope you’ll be able to join us on May 19th to be a part of another important story in our lives!