How did you two meet?
On a bet- Each of our parents told us to try eHarmony. We listened. A week later we were matched with each other. The first phone conversation lasted 12 hours= there was so much in common! We talked for a month before meeting in person at Berthoud Pass on top of the Continental Divide in Colorado.
Tell us about the proposal.
From Tim:
If I had played the scenario out in my mind once, I had done so hundreds of times that week. Sitting at the Denver airport waiting for who I hoped would be my future father-in-law to arrive was no different. Though I had only met Kara months before, I knew she was the woman I had desired and prayed for since I was fifteen. Now, just a few months later I had flown from Texas to Colorado to surprise Kara and ask her if she would be my bride. I wanted the proposal to be as much a surprise to Kara as it was meaningful. Anyone who knows Kara knows that surprising her is not an easy task. I knew that I alone could not succeed in surprising her, so I recruited her family to help me. Between myself and Kara’s parents, Jim and Ann, we began to brainstorm on how to take advantage of Kara being in Colorado and to decide what would surprise her the most.
As I sat in the concourse waiting for Jim’s plane to arrive from St. Louis, I was meticulously going over the every possible scenario again in my head. Once Jim arrived I knew we had a two hour drive out to the house. Upon arrival, I knew it would be a definitive moment in both my life and Kara’s. Jim soon arrived. As we traveled to the house he helped me solidify the plan. As we got close, we set it into motion. Jim called Ann while we were about 10 minutes away to have Kara make guacamole – a ruse to keep her busy so she would not see us pull up. As Jim pulled into the garage, I jumped out of the car to hide just in case Kara decided to rush outside to greet her dad. Once Jim walked into the house, he made sure he slammed the door to give me the all-clear to wait in the garage. Ann had gone into town earlier that day to pick up a dozen roses I had ordered and stashed them in the garage. I found them and waited for a text from Jim that would let me know it was safe to sneak upstairs through a side door. The text came and I was on the move.
Quietly I snuck upstairs and placed a trail of roses from the top of the stairs into the family-room where I had first kissed Kara. Eleven roses marked the path through the office where her laptop laid and led to me where I would be holding the twelfth rose. I called Kara on her cell phone and asked her if she could get to her computer so I could show her something. From where I stood I could hear her rush up the stairs to discover the long-stem rose at the top step. My heart raced as I knew in just a few moments I would see Kara and ask her for the honor to have her share her life with me. My mouth was dry and my senses sharpened. I had to remind myself to breathe as I heard her intermittent footsteps on the wood floor of the next room as she picked up the roses. A brief moment of panic struck me as I felt for the engagement ring. I thought I had placed it on my little finger. It was there! Good! I looked up to see Kara standing in the door.
Clutched in her hands were the eleven red roses and a broad smile on her face. My heart skipped a beat as I realized again (as I always do) how beautiful she is. When she saw me, she began a long explanation of how by the fourth or fifth rose she knew I was there. As I put my arms around her, she kept talking! Words poured out of her mouth as she took little nervous breaths. I began to move close to kiss her when she blurted out: “I know what’s about to happen! I do! Let me go brush my teeth! Before I came up I ate two big spoonfuls of guacamole that had garlic in it!” “No way!” I replied, “I’m here, where doing this thing!”
I sunk to my knee and confessed my love for her and asked Kara to be my wife. Looking down at me she answered with a very enthusiastic “Uh-huh!”. She was beaming.
Now, I must admit that I am as romantic as the next guy – more even, I promise! Here I was in a beautiful home in Colorado, surrounded by a loving, amazing family, proposing to the most beautiful woman on earth! Love songs are written for moments like this! This is what most people want to hear about! This is the part of the movie where the music crescendos as the man and woman kiss and live happily ever after…but I couldn’t resist. I hadn’t given Kara the ring yet. As I looked up into her eyes I very calmly and convincingly said: “Sweetheart, I just don’t know how to tell you this…I’m really sorry…but…I left the ring in Texas!”
In an instant her eyes flashed as her mouth dropped. She looked me square in the eye and exclaimed: “YOU DID WHAT?!”
Knowing I had better not tempt fate, I chuckled and quickly produced the ring and slipped it on her left hand. I then gave Kara a good-natured kiss on the cheek and a wide smile. I then embraced Kara knowing that this was the woman that I would marry and have the honor of loving for the rest of my life – that thought made me happy.
The Wedding Experts
St. Louis Ceremony | Living Word United Methodist Church
St. Louis Reception | Kemoll’s & Top of the Met
St. Louis Consultant | Sabrina Torti at Proposing Dreams
St. Louis Caterer | Kemoll’s
St. Louis Florist | Melody Human at Magnolias
St. Louis Cake | Sarah’s Cake Shop
St. Louis Wedding Dress | Wedding Creations
We met and hired the Zettls the day before our wedding. We had to fire our previous photographers with 24 hours to go (long story) and our wedding planner, Sabrina Torti, saved the day! The Zettls came to our rehearsal, discussed our plans/ ideas, and we all clicked! The night before the wedding I stopped by their website- I knew we were in for a great day! Our pictures were a blast!
What did you like most about your hair, shoes, and dress?
I just told the stylist I wanted my hair up, elegant, and fun. I did a trial and loved it. I wore purple flats for the wedding ceremony and Ariat cowboy boots for the reception! I’m all for comfort! My dress was perfect! In my closet I have both of my Grandma’s, Great-Grandma’s, and Mom’s wedding dresses. I combined elements from each of them in my dress. Bought my dress from Wedding Creations in Washington, MO and they were so easy to work with!
What was your vision for your wedding day? How did you make it personal?
Our vision was a fun, Christ-centered celebration where our family and friends could share in our joy. As numerous family and friends could not attend worldwide, we used www.idostream.com. Tim’s grandparents were watching in Texas and friends in 9 other countries joined in! We opened the ceremony with a video of our lives and relationship set to the song “Risk” by Ten Shekel Shirt so that everyone felt like they knew both of us.
Groom/ Bride: Tell us about the first moment you saw your bride/groom.
Groom: When I saw her coming down the aisle, I realized I had never seen a woman more beautiful.
Bride: Tim was beaming! He looked so handsome in his suit! It seemed like forever to get down the aisle!
What was your favorite moment during the wedding day?
During communion at the end of our ceremony we had a moment to sit down alone. We hadn’t seen each other or talked since the night before. We sat, whispered, and basked in the shock and joy that we were married!
How did you choose your venue?
Tim’s family is from Texas and I grew up in St. Louis. We wanted to showcase the city, so we chose Kemoll’s Top of the Met. A little non-traditional in that our cocktails, dinner, and dancing were all on separate floors, but it worked great! Everyone loved the change in scenery and the view of the Arch made for great pictures!
What was your reception like? Tell us about the food, cake and dancing!
Kemoll’s catered- amazing food! Appetizers in the lobby. Dinner on the 42nd floor. We had a sit down meal and actually got to eat!
Our cake was from Sarah’s Cake Shop in Chesterfield. We had a topper with a spray of peacock feathers. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat anything but the bite when we cut the cake. No one noticed, but the flower girl’s brother had stuck his finger into the side of the cake to sample the frosting! The only evidence was a napkin covered in blue! The cake we served at dinner was Kemoll’s chocolate cake. Our wedding cake was available along with a sweet and salty bar during dancing on the 40th floor.
All of our decor and flowers were done by Melody Human with Magnolia’s. She was delightful to work with! She took my ideas and ran with them- I wanted fun, bright, colorful, and whimsical. Each table was unique. The arrangements were in everything from a pitchers, sugar and cream sets, jars, candlesticks, and vases all in varying blues and purples. The best part- they are all functional in our home now and we don’t have dozens of plain vases!
Dancing was perfect! As a youth leader and drama coach for our high school youth at church, we invited many students. If you want a good party, invite high school students! The floor was packed with all ages and and guests stayed to the end! My longtime friend brought his DJ equipment and did it for free!
Where did you honeymoon?
Key West, Florida
What’s next on the calendar for you as a couple?
Learning to survive and thrive with each other. The first seven months have been full of surprises!
by zettlphoto
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