Feature Friday - Kelsey + Tanner

Kelsey & Tanner { Getting Married June 20, 2020 }

We reached out recently to our engaged couples to ask them to share with us a little about themselves! Meet Kelsey and Tanner! Thanks for sharing your story!!!

Tanner and I met unexpectedly during a highly competitive game of adult dodgeball in the winter of 2018. We were playing on opposing teams, and it came down to 1v1. For all the marbles. Tanner vs. Kelsey. We didn't know it yet, but our competitiveness rivaled one another, and neither one of us was willing to lose. It was a hard-fought battle, but after a solid throw by myself, Tanner took a pelt to the gut, and an unlucky ricochet straight upwards. This allowed Tanner to catch the ball, leaving me out of the game. 

I like to think that if he knew me, back then, he would have known that beating me in a competitive game was NOT the way to my heart. But, then again, he also knows that I don't like it when anyone lets me win. This mutual competitiveness is something that Tanner and I have since bonded over, and it's something I love and cherish about our relationship. We both give 100% effort towards the things we care about. Regardless, this little meet-cute turned out to be the best game of dodgeball we ever played because it allowed our paths to cross for the first time.

A few weeks later, on a chilly night at one of our favorite local bars, I caught Tanner's eye for a second time. This time while singing karaoke. Miranda Lambert, to be exact. We ended up sitting down at the same table together, and we had a great conversation. 

Star Wars Night!

I'm pretty sure I rambled on and on about my love for Harry Potter and how much I couldn't wait to be a nurse. This was where Tanner found his in. A few days later, he started up a Facebook chat about fantastic beasts and where do you actually find them, and the rest is history!

Fast forward to December 20, 2019. We had planned a date night, starting with Jumangi at our local outdoor mall. After the movie, Tanner suggested that we take a walk to the opposite side of the mall to do a little Christmas shopping for our families. I replied, "Let's drive! It's cold!" With Tanner's insistence, I reluctantly agreed to make the walk outside. 

One of the holiday features of this outdoor mall is the tallest Christmas tree in Fort Wayne that is set to perform synchronized light and music shows. As we passed, the light show was beginning, so we paused to watch. 

Before I knew what was happening, Tanner was saying beautiful things to me, got down on one knee, and whipped out a gorgeous ring! Also, to my surprise, there were a lot of celebratory shouts coming from nearby! I turned around, both of our families were standing by to share in this special moment with us.

I said, “YES!”

The next month was a whirlwind of fantastic celebrations with our favorite people. This included my graduation from nursing school and spending the holidays as fiancés. We started the daunting task of planning our wedding, which began with one of the most important questions – where are we hosting this party? 

Tanner has spent a lot of his life on and around the water, and his family are avid sailors. Also, he was on the rowing team for both Culver Academies and Oklahoma City University. In fact, one of my favorite moments in our relationship was Tanner introducing me to Culver, IN. Here we enjoyed walking around the Academy campus, taking the pontoon boat out on Lake Maxinkuckee, and spending time with his family who still lives in the area. 

Culver seemed like the obvious and most perfect place for us to begin our married lives together. The fact that it is an incredibly beautiful and kind community - icing on the cake. Pun intended!

When discussing the type of wedding, we wanted to host, Tanner and I knew we wanted it to be an intimate event with our family and closest friends. We were looking for a venue that would be romantic and celebrate our two families becoming one big, happy family. This was when Tanner's mom introduced us to Lake Max Meadows. She knew Becky and Ed through the Culver sailing community. 

From the moment I looked at the photos on their website, I fell in love with the venue! It was exactly the kind of place I could envision us spending our wedding day together with our favorite people. We are excited to arrive at Lake Max Meadows on the morning of our wedding and look forward to getting ready in their beautiful Loft and Studio. 

Our plan, to have our ceremony outside under the big tree in the meadow west of the Blue Boat Barn. From there, we'll invite our guests inside the barn for Papa's pizza and breadsticks! Of course, that will be followed by a lot of dancing and fun. Our guests can expect a personalized touch with every aspect of our ceremony and reception because Tanner and I have worked hard to create a wedding that is reflective of who we are as a couple – which is why pizza was a must! 

There's still some planning to do, but June 20, 2020, can't get here fast enough! I can hardly wait for the day I say "I do" to my best friend, surrounded by the people who love us most, in one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

The night of our engagement!