Our Love Story

Today I am linking up with some of my favorite blogs: Minor Details, Blue Eyed Bride, and From Mrs. To Mama. I have truly enjoyed reading about everyone’s Love Stories. It’s neat to see how people meet and what they cherish in their relationships. I thought I would add Andy and I’s story to the mix, half for blog readers, and half for posterity. We are literally on the brink of combining our lives and I want to remember how it feels. So here goes!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We have been together almost 4 years and then we were friends for 4 years before we started dating. Sometimes it feels like we started dating yesterday and sometimes it feels like we have been together way longer.

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}

We met our freshman year at Carolina. We lived down the hall from each other in the dorm and then really got to know each other because we were both Sport and Entertainment Management majors. We were friends all through college but didn’t start dating until we both graduated. We figured it was about time when friends started introducing us as “This is Sarah and Andy, they are involved, they just don’t know it yet.”  Needless to say everyone else seemed to know we were distended for each other before we figured it out.

Andy was living in Charleston and I lived in Columbia so we made it work by spending the weekends together. I think we single handedly kept the gas stations in business with all the back and forth we did. Charleston will always be the city where we fell in love. After about a year Andy came back to Columbia for grad school, which was awesome, and then a horrible five month stint where Andy lived in Maryland, brought us to the present where we both finally live in the same great city of Charlotte. So much long distance was not the perfect situation but it taught us to do a lot of talking because that’s all we could do during the week. We also know what life is like without each other and with each other and we much prefer the second option.

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We are not married yet but we are 74 days away! We CANNOT wait!

4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

We are getting married at my family church which is Shandon United Methodist Church in Columbia, SC and our reception will take place at The Millstone at Adam’s Pond. I went to a reception there years ago and knew it was the perfect spot for us.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

We don’t have really any interesting nicknames for each other. Sorry we’re boring.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I love his go with the flow way of life, honorable work ethic, and the way he makes me laugh constantly.

7. Tell us how he proposed?
I know I’m slightly bias but I think Andy’s proposed was the best thing I’ve ever heard. It was perfect and was beyond anything I could have ever thought of. Here is our story straight from our wedding website:
My aunt and cousin were in Columbia, SC visiting and Andy came into town because he had never met them before. Not knowing anything I suggested we all go to brunch, which played perfectly into their whole plan. Unknown to me, Andy had talked to my mom earlier in the week and planned the next event. When we were finishing up brunch I asked what we should do next. My mom suggested we visit the University of South Carolina’s campus. After my father passed away the department he worked for at USC planted a tree right off the Horseshoe in his honor. Neither my aunt, cousin, or Andy had ever seen it so we decided to meet there. We were all standing around, chatting innocently, and Andy leans over and asked if I thought my dad would have approved of him. Andy only meet my dad briefly during college, which was way before we ever started dating. I said I thought my dad would have loved him, which is totally true. He said, “I’m glad to hear that because it makes what I’m about to do much easier”. Then Andy got down on one knee and said he loved me and asked me to marry him. Or at least that is what people told me he said. As soon as I saw him get down on one knee everything went fuzzy. I said yes, through an embarrassing amount of tears and hugs, and Andy somehow got the beautiful ring on my finger. It was a perfect moment and I had no idea it was coming!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Andy isn’t really either of these, he is more of a spend time together kind of guy. Since the basketball season takes up a lot of nights and weekends I really appreciate just doing stuff together. As I said before, date night is my favorite!


9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
I would love a dinner on the beach once in a while but I love movie night on the couch.


10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
Something Andy and I have talked a lot about is traveling together. We both have a long list of places we want to go, now we just need to find the time! We are so excited about our Jamaican honeymoon since neither of us have ever been there. Europe is high on the list along with Australia (with New Zealand and Fiji) so I can show him where I spent three months in college. 

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day.
This is one of the first Valentine’s Days where we will be in the same city so I’m not sure what’s on the agenda. I’ll have to get back to you on that.


12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?
Nope. Just spending some time together would be good.


13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Talk to each other! My answer is very much like everyone else’s but it’s still true. Talk about your feelings (good or bad), talk about your likes and dislikes, talk about your day, talk about your goals and beliefs, talk about everything. Make the lines of communication open and easy. That way if something tricky comes along, which it will, it’ll be easy to talk about it. 

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

*All pictures are either off my camera or taken by our fabulous wedding photographer Evan Laettner. Check him out!