Good morning, friends! If you missed yesterday’s Instagram Story series on @lonestarsouthern, I’m guessing you may be a bit confused with this title. In a nutshell, my father pitched me the idea of doing a weekly wedding post here on the blog and offered up the title suggestion of “Wedding Sledding.” The man has a degree in advertising… and that is what he came up with?!
Nevertheless, since he’s the one walking me down the aisle (and since 75% of you voted that the name should stick)… Wedding Sledding it is.
At least for now. :)
On the Wednesday of each week, I’m so excited to bring you a wedding-related post! Y’ALL! I am just so excited! It blew me away reading from so many of you that you want in on ALL of the planning, and so that’s exactly what I intend to do! I plan to cover everything from inspiration to decor to vendors and anything else y’all want to see, so please send in requests of exactly the posts you’re dying for!
On that note, a second question I asked in yesterday’s Instagram Story series was which topic you’d most like to see today… “How Andrew and I Met?” or “When We’re Getting Married!” I watched the poll like a hawk all day, and it kept hovering around 50/50. As of this morning at 7:29am, the results are in…
4,314 of you voted for “How Andrew and I Met?” and 4,244 voted for”When We’re Getting Married!” So I guess it only makes sense to take it back to the very beginning!
(And don’t worry… next week I’ll share the “when!”)
How We Met
When people ask, I usually say “we were set up by our two best friends” to keep things short and simple, but y’all are getting the full story today. :)
It hardly feels like it was just a year ago, but Andrew and I met (what I later found out was for the second time, more on that later) about this time last fall. I’m going to share this night from my perspective, but read to the end for a big twist!
It was a Friday night, and my best friend, unbeknownst to her, was getting engaged the following day. To cover up the fact that all of her friends somehow “happened to be in town,” her now-husband, Tim, put together a big dinner for that Friday night at a fave TexMex spot here in Dallas, Mia’s!
To be honest… my favorite way to spend weekend evenings is to have dinner with my family and be in bed by 10pm. The dream, am I right?! But I remember feeling so excited for this dinner. It had been a long summer and had felt like forever since I’d seen my friends. The fact that so many of us were reuniting had me (surprisingly) thrilled for a night out.
I vividly remember jamming on my way to dinner, feeling great with a good hair day, new lipgloss and some adorable statement earrings. HA! The things you remember!
I arrived at Mia’s and immediately started catching up with one of my high school friends, Catherine, while the group was waiting for a table. I remember exactly where we were standing when she said to me “Wait… have you met Andrew?! He went to high school with us but was a grade older. I think he lives in San Antonio now?! Anyway, y’all should totally talk tonight. I think you’d really like him.” *wink wink.
I don’t know what on earth got into me, but from that point forward my mission was to meet this Andrew kid.
Cut to dinner. We were seated at a table towards the back of the restaurant (there must have been about twelve of us) and much to my dismay… Andrew was sitting across the table and maybe four chairs to my right. Not ideal placement for hitting it off, to be sure. He was being so quiet and didn’t make a move, so I decided to take things into my own hands. SO not like me! I still can’t believe I did this… but I stood up at the table, reached across everyone (who all knew one another, keep in mind) and introduced myself.
Remember that part for later.
After an awkward introduction, the rest of dinner continued without a word from this Andrew guy. “Whelp… I guess that ‘s that” was my thought. He did not seem interested at all.
Once dinner ended, the group decided to continue the evening at Chelsea Corner, a Dallas spot with a great outdoor area. We found a big, round table outside and once we all sat down, I realized that me, my best friend Julie and then Andrew were all sitting together. He headed in to grab a drink, and I realized I finally had my chance. I tipped Julie off, and we switched seats.
Like, could I have been more obvious?! I remember feeling so smooth at the time. Switching seats to sit next to him?! Oh my word, Kate. Absolutely pathetic.
Well, when Andrew returned, you bet I took my chance. We started chatting, and surprise surprise, it went infinitely better than our brief intro at dinner. Turns out we had quite a bit in common… we both went to the same high school, both had worked at Kanakuk, both had younger siblings, and the list goes on. In fact, one of the first things that came up in conversation was the role our faith played in our lives, which only made me want to get to know him more.
As if I hadn’t embarrassed myself enough at this point, I asked him what his favorite past times were. Past times, people. He still makes fun of me for that to this day.
Needless to say, I was pretty smitten.
Here are a couple photos I found from that evening at Chelsea Corner! They’re pretty blurry from the flash, but fun looking back on nonetheless. You’ll see Julie and I (before we switched seats) and someone you might recognize in the right corner of the second one!
Once the group started trickling off, Julie, Tim, Andrew and I decided to go back to Julie’s house. At this point, it was way past my preferred bedtime, but we sat out on the porch and talked for what must have been another hour before Andrew offered to drive me home.
On the drive back, I learned that Andrew would also be at the engagement party for Time and Julie the following night. (Praise!)
As I got out of the car, and in another totally not smooth, totally not me move… I proceeded to ask Andrew for his number. WHAT. ON. EARTH. It was under the guise of me needing it to put together a group dinner before the engagement party…. but let’s be real. That wasn’t the only reason. :)
The next morning I woke up and instantly remembered who I’d met the night before. In true stalker fashion, I decided to look him up on Facebook only to find that we were already friends! Huh? I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how that had happened.
Needless to say, I spent all day nervous for the engagement party. He was going to be there! I made it my mission to play it cool (unlike the night before) and when I walked into the party, he was standing right by the door.
I guess something had gotten into him this time, because all of the sudden he was the one being all smooth. Within the first fifteen minutes of the party, he told me he wanted to take me out that week. Swoon. Then, in a flash, the newly-engaged couple Julie and Tim arrived, and we lost track of each other in the celebration!
As the party was winding down, Andrew found me again and invited me to join him and his friends Cami and Ryan (who are married) for the evening. We eventually made it to their house, where we ended up two-stepping the night away in the living room to Cody Johnson. His song “Diamond in My Pocket” was the first that we danced to. How ironic! :)
At that point, I had fallen head over heels. (Literally, since Cami and Ryan were both on the Lake Highlands Wrangler team and were teaching us all sorts of moves!) The weekend was such a whirlwind and I couldn’t believe everything had happened the way it did. I knew there was something different about this guy.
The next morning, I woke up and journaled out my heart to the Lord. I just had this feeling, and prayed that He would take this out of my hands and guide and grow it into whatever He wanted it to be. I had been in a couple of pretty serious relationships before, and before walking into what had the potential to be another, I knew my heart desperately needed to lay down all of my hopes/fears/expectations at the feet of my Father. I knew I couldn’t trust or rely on my own thoughts or emotions, and so that Sunday morning, I handed it to the Lord and asked Him to do what He would with it.
Once Monday rolled around, Andrew called to say that he had made dinner reservations for that Thursday night. By the time we had our first official date, it really didn’t feel like a “first date” at all since we had already spent so much time together that the weekend! I snapped this on that date, and to this day it’s one of my favorite photos. :)
Now here’s the funny twist…
It turns out Andrew and I had actually met two years before that fated night at Mia’s. Not only met, but had actually hung out in a group with Time and Julie! Andrew later told me that he had noticed me and had asked Tim to set us up should the opportunity ever arise. Little did we know!
Well, two years later that opportunity arose. Turns out Tim and specifically invited Andrew to the TexMex dinner since I would be there. I had no idea it was a setup! So can we take a moment of silence over the fact that I INTRODUCED MYSELF having no idea we’d actually met before? It makes me laugh to this day. Sorry, Andrew!
Do you remember me being so confused about how we were Facebook friends already? Turns out it was all from two years ago1 I totally remember that random evening two years ago now, but couldn’t for the life of me put two and two together that night at Mia’s.
Needless to say, it is hilarious thinking through all of the turns and twists that landed us here… engaged! To be married! I still can’t believe it.
Friends, I wish I could go into every single detail, but let me just say that through Andrew and I’s story, I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8) His timing truly is perfect. (Jeremiah 29:11) His involvement and attention in every detail of our lives is mindblowing. (Psalm 139:16) His endless love for us, His children, cannot be understood. (Ephesians 3:14-19)
It has been incredible to sit here in this season and look back on those that didn’t make sense at the time with a new perspective. It brings me to tears when I think about how in the midst heartbreaks, uncertainty and moments of feeling alone and unsure, the Lord was writing this story all along.
When walking through those difficult times, I truly did trust the Lord would work it all together for good (Romans 8:28), I just couldn’t see how.
Years later, here in this moment, I see a glimpse of it. And it’s vastly more beautiful and complex and good and perfect than anything I could have ever imagined.
I am so overwhelmed and I am so thankful.
So before I step off my soapbox, let me just say one last thing. It is good to trust in the Lord. He is faithful, and He is the best author. Trust Him with your story, friend. In the valleys, remember there are so many pages you haven’t lived through yet, and remember that His love, which is so far greater than any love we’ll ever find here on this earth, will lead you through each one.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Love from Texas,
Kate
AHHH my heart is melting!! What a cute story, you two are totally meant to be! Can’t wait for more wedding posts, Kate! So excited for you two!
Lauren | https://dailydoseofcharm.com
Tears! So, so happy for you. What a great story. It is sooo good to trust in the Lord!
Love hearing this story! It’s so funny… I’m doing a study of Esther right now and the message I keep getting from it is exactly what you’re saying. That God is the author of our stories and that, even if we don’t see how, everything will come together in the way He wants it to. The verses you shared support that idea, which just shows that trusting in God’s plan must be one of the biggest lessons He wants us to learn.
Can’t wait to read more about your wedding plans! I used to work as a wedding planner, so I’m a total geek for this kind of thing :)
briana | youngsophisticate.com
Oh Kate I’m so excited for you. This is the most precious,funniest, story. Thank you for including the scripture. I wish you a wonderful life with your future husband and family.
This is so beautiful! And so true.. my now husband and I met in such a crazy and serendipitous way there absolutely was major guidance by Him to get us to where we are. Basically, I’m from Philadelphia but was living in a Baltimore for work, my husband is from Alabama but was living in Philadelphia for work. His mom got an opportunity from her job (in AL) to stay for 6 weeks in baltimore. She figured why not as them she would only be 2 hours from her son and his whole family could visit both of them. He traveled from Philly to Baltimore for 4th of July and he and his mom ran into a boy he played college lacrosse with. After grabbing lunch together the boy said “hey, come with me to this bbq tonight. I’m going with my cousin and I don’t know anyone” my husband said yes, and the bbq was at my house. The rest is truly history! You just never ever know what story is being woven for you and how perfect the person is for you. Best wishes and happy planning, and never forget with all the excitement and stress to keep your marriage at the center! Love from the northeast,
Anna
Kate I’m causally just CRYING in the middle of a coffee shop on campus. This story is so precious and is a beautiful reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness which I so desperately needed in this season of my life. Thank you for your words and I am so thrilled the Lord wove you and Andrew together so perfectly, y’all are such an encouragement!!
Such a sweet story and very well said. I loved all of the scripture that you tied in so well. I am getting married next week and this made me even more excited. Bless you sweet Lady!
That last verse is my favorite! This post just made my day!
I love the way your voice comes through your writing! Your personality just shines in all of your post.
I would love to hear his take on this night (maybe a future wedding sledding post????)
Kate, thanks for sharing!
You both look amazing! That last verse is powerful.
http://www.rayamaari.com
Awww such a sweet story how y’all met! Love how involved your friends were in the whole process. God sure is good. :) Excited for more wedding posts!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Love this story, so happy for you!
xx, Merritt
The Style Scribe
OH KATE! CONGRATS! you two seem so genuinely happy and meant for each other! have so much fun with the wedding planning, but mostly enjoy your big day, it will fly by, but you and Andrew will remember the way you looked at each other on that special day, and that’s the best memory to cherish! Xo, Cassie
Aww, such a sweet love story…. and it is just the beginning! I’ve been married 22 years and reading your story reminds me of back when i met my husband. It is truly a magical time in your life!
❤️❤️ It’s the absolute best when you trust God all the way! Thank you for the transparency, what a God-story that you two have to begin your legacy!
Your boldness has given inspiration for the next time I wanna make a move! lol. Oh, Kate, I so loved reading this & I love hearing about y’alls story! I am SO happy for you. The Lord is so good :’)
Beautiful story
Thank you for sharing! What a wondeful, beautiful story!!!
I’m so happy for you Kate! I can’t wait for more wedding content! I know you probably have a ton of ideas already, but I think it would be so much fun to hear Andrew’s perspective/side of the story that night! Hope you have a wonderful day :)
I worked at Kanakuk last summer! I love how you bring your faith into your relationship and waited for a Godly man. It’s hard to wait, but before it’s His time we can’t force it, when it is His time we can’t stop it:)
Classic Kate jumping from guy to guy to rushing to get married. It wasn’t too long ago that you were sooo in love with the other Andrew/“cowboy” *rolls eyes*. You sure do move on real fast. Definitely one of those girls who always has to have a guy in their life.
Hi there! I am so sad to see from your IP address that you felt the need to create three email addresses to leave three negative comments here. I will say, I don’t understand why you’ve chosen to follow along all these years if I upset you so much, but know that you are always, always welcome here. I hope you’re having a great week, and that you know you’re loved!
I love this story:)
Being a post-grad single girl living in a small town right now (and asking God, okay where are all the boys who love Jesus hello I’m still here!!), but reading this blog post is so encouraging to me. Even when we feel like it doesn’t make sense, trusting in His timing and more so just that He is good and faithful and loves us. I love how like you said– he works in the tiny, intricate details of our lives when we literally have no idea!!! So beautiful!
STOP DELETING NEGATIVE COMMENTS, KATE. I don’t think “god” would be very happy to see you lying to readers and giving false impressions that you only get comments that kiss your ass. Isn’t lying a sin?
So excited for you and Andrew… may God bless your marriage! Should rename the Weds. post “Lonestar Lovebirds”!
OMG!!! Is this real life?!!! This is the most adorable story!! So so happy for you Kate! Thanks so much for sharing this with us! It’s so touching and it’s kind of how I wish to meet someone!