29 Sep Christian + Andrew | Engagement Photos

Hello October and hello wedding week for Christian and Andrew. These two loves will say ‘I Do’ at Otter Creek Farm in Ohatchee, Alabama and “giddy with excitement to see it all come together” does not describe the anticipation we have for this day!

We’re also just a bit smitten over these photos from their engagement session with the talented Kelli + Daniel Taylor Photography and even more enamored by the pre-wedding day Q+A we asked them to share about their story. It’s pretty evident, they kind of like each other and are on the same page in all aspects of their love story. Congratulations Christian and Andrew… let’s get you two married!

How/where did you meet and what did you do on your first date? Give us all the details.

She said… Andrew and I met through mutual friends at the Filing Station (a bar) in Tuscaloosa in May of 2012. I was about to graduate from high school and he had just graduated from college. We shortly became friends on all social media outlets. When I started my first semester at Alabama in August of 2012, we started messaging on facebook and texting. Because I had a big crush on him, I tried so hard to come off as a “chill” and “down to earth” girl by hooking him up with someone on my cheer team. I would also reach out to him to buy me alcohol and even reached out once in a subtle manner to get a ride from him from the bar (which he denied) just so I could see him. Unfortunately, Andrew was not having it and clearly not into me so I eventually gave up (I blame it on age LOL).  For three years, we followed each other on social media and my crush on him never faded. The summer going into my senior year and after each of us were in long relationships, I sent a mass snap chat out to my snap chat friends saying “Last ever cheer tryout” and Andrew responded. We then messaged on skype and eventually started texting. A week later, I drove to Birmingham to hang out with him for the weekend. We went out to the bars the first night with his friends and my sister and her friends and casually hung out that weekend. Technically our first date was that night, but our first formal date was at Cocina Superior a few weeks later. 

He said… She will probably kill me for this, but I do not remember exactly where we went on our first technical date. However, the first time we were together she came up for the weekend. We went out, danced a little downtown, and had a few drinks. She even drug me out shopping at the Summit. I can even remember the outfit she wore, so I think it’s safe to say I liked her a little. That weekend was May of 2015 and we have spent almost every single weekend together since.

Describe your dream date…

She said… My dream date would be more like a dream weekend in which we would stay on a hut over the ocean on an island like Fiji. We would be able to relax, do adventurous activities together, drink, walk the beach, have dinner on the beach, etc. Though this is my dream date, Andrew’s would probably have something to do with hunting animals he never has before and me going to the spa while he hunts. 

He said… Mine will probably be different from Christian’s. I’m sure she would want a beach involved. However, for me (excuse my redneckness), it would involve hunting. Not necessarily just going on a hunt together but more. I have mentioned to her for years how I want to go out West to turkey hunt. My dream date/day would be hunting together in the morning (my happy place) followed by a spa or vineyard in the afternoon (her happy place). As crazy as it seems I know several couples that do this, and it always makes me jealous!

Do you two have a favorite movie or song?

She said… The Notebook has been my favorite movie even at a younger age. I always wanted to find my own version of “Noah” and when I met Andrew I knew I finally found him. He isn’t as in love with the movie as me but I would describe it as our movie. Though we don’t necessarily have a favorite song, “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett always comes to mind when I think of a song that reminds me of us. When the song first came out, I remember us listening to it nonstop and dancing to it. 

He said… I do not have a favorite but I am sure she will mention The Notebook. Cliché I know. However, she always says I am her “Noah” and I can handle that! I would not say we have a favorite song but we both enjoy country music and several other genres. 

What guilty pleasure do you share?

She said… We are slightly obsessed with craft beers and that may be an understatement. I also am obsessed with Mexican and we eat it at least once a week.

He said… Beer, sour gummies, and sweets. We both love all of these!

Tell us all about the proposal… anything not go as planned or was it completely perfect?

She said… Words cannot express how perfect the proposal was in my opinion. Andrew went over and beyond my expectations so much so that he went to the Botanical Gardens on various days at various times just to figure out the best time of day to have the proposal. He hired the BEST photographers to capture it all and had our family waiting for us at Carrigan’s to celebrate afterwards. He even wrote me a beautiful letter just in case he wasn’t able to get everything out when he proposed (which was great because he wasn’t able to say but a few words since he was so nervous). I knew he had bought the ring and was on high alert so unfortunately I had a strong feeling he was going to propose that night but even with knowing about it, he completely and utterly exceeded my expectations and made the day absolutely perfect.

He said… I would not say it was completely perfect! I think Christian kind of started to catch on what I had planned, and I wanted it to be a complete surprise. I hired our photographers to “hide” in plain sight and photograph the whole thing. It all went as planned until it came time for me to actually talk. I got shaky, started mumbling, and honestly do not even remember what all I said. I instantly got extremely nervous. However, it went amazing and they captured everything. I was more than happy with how it turned out. 

What do the two of you like to do together when you aren’t working?

She said… One of our favorite things to do is go to breweries on a night we are free and try beers. It’s safe to say we have tried just about every beer at every brewery in Birmingham but we still love to go. We also follow all the breweries on social media and when they have small batches we love to go try them before they sell out. Back when we lived in Bluff Park, we would venture to the Piggly Wiggly and select various beers to try that we hadn’t tried before. Andrew would always pick a stout or porter and I would always pick a sour.

He said… We like to tour breweries and try new restaurants. We love to travel and see new places, but we are just always so busy it’s hard to find time. We also like to binge watch Netflix shows while eating sweets and trying different craft beers.

What are you looking forward to the most about your wedding day?

She said… Walking down the aisle and finally having the feeling that the man I am heading towards is my husband and that the moment we are about to experience will be a moment we will cherish together forever. The simple thought of seeing him as I take each step down the aisle and knowing that he is the love of my life makes me more than excited for our special day. I also cannot wait to spend the night on the dance floor dancing with Andrew and celebrating the fact that we are FINALLY joined together in marriage.

He said… First look>seeing her walk down the aisle>the reception. I cannot wait to turn around and see her in her dress. I know she is going to look more than stunning, and I am sure I will start crying like a baby. Seeing her walk down the aisle is going to be a close second or maybe even the top. I will probably cry again, and my nerves will be maxed out but I am looking so forward to this. Every step she takes closer to me will be a second closer to marriage and I am looking more than forward to it. Lastly, of course we are looking forward to the reception. It will be a party and I cannot wait to dance and celebrate. 

Anything else fun you want to share about your story?

She said… My favorite thing to talk about is the fact that I always knew Andrew was special even when he turned me down and was clearly not interested in me my freshmen year. There was just this pull he had over me the first night we met and I just couldn’t explain why. Even to the point that when I would see someone who I thought was him during the three years we were not in contact, that I would get so beyond excited and happy just at the thought of it potentially being him. Clearly I know now that these feelings were because he was the man that God created and intended for me to spend the rest of my life with. He was simply “My Noah.”

I also love to talk about two other instances clearly evidencing how Andrew and I were meant to be.

The night we said we loved each other. Andrew and I love to leave each other sweet notes randomly especially when we first started dating. When I decided to tell him I loved him, I wrote him a letter expressing how I was in love with him and how much he meant to me and then gave the letter to him that night. After Andrew had read the letter, he reached into his wallet and pulled out a letter he had written to me professing his love too! We had both written each other letters and both planned to give each other the letters that night!

The first year we were dating, we both planned to surprise each other on the same night at the other person’s apartment/home. Andrew was living in Birmingham and I was living in Tuscaloosa. I had driven an hour to his apartment in Birmingham and he had driven an hour to my house in Tuscaloosa. As I was pulling up to his apartment, he called me asking where I was and that he was at my house. We both laughed and could not believe we had both planned to surprise each other at the same time and on the same night! Andrew ended up driving back to Birmingham but it definitely was a memory we will always laugh about.

He said… We have always done things creepily alike. For instance, when I told her I loved her for the first time I wrote her a note. She had written a note on the same day at the same time to tell me the same thing. When she was still living in Tuscaloosa, I decided to drive down and surprise her. Little did I know, she was driving to Birmingham to surprise me. We showed up at each other’s houses at the same time. 

How did you know he/she was the one?

She said… I’d have to say it was the night that we had an extremely personal talk and his reaction to the conversation was everything I could’ve hoped for and more. Though I had always known there was a deeper connection between the two of us, I knew then that I loved this man and that I always would. 

He said… Well, she is the only person I have ever met that I never wanted to be away from. We have been together for 4 ½ years and I still cannot get enough of her. Ever since we met she has constantly made me strive to be a better person. She quickly became my best friend and always will be. She has been my rock and my everything. I have never had anyone look at me the way the looks at me. She always finds a way to make me feel wanted and desired. I knew a long time ago that I did not want to let her go and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. When you constantly wish you would have met each other earlier so you could have been together even longer then you know you have found the right one and I definitely have!