Missouri Engagement: Annemarie + Nick
Annemarie and Nick reached out to me in March of this year in the hopes of getting through the final stretch of their engagement, leading us to a June wedding. Shortly after booking with them, the global pandemic hit. Left with either riding the wave or seeking out a new wedding date, Annemarie and Nick graciously chose to look onwards to a new wedding date, September. The ceremony will be held out on the lawn at Cooper’s Ridge, located in Boonville, Missouri, with the reception inside the venue. Annemarie and Nick are incredibly kind, thoughtful people, and I cannot wait to celebrate their marriage in a few more months.
I asked Annemarie and Nick a few questions about them and the planning process so far; check out their responses below!
But first … check out these AMAZING images from their engagement session that were taken by Alex Hutchinson Photography.
How did Nick propose?
Nick: I proposed in the rain in the Andy's Frozen Custard parking lot. We had a date night out and it felt right.
Annemarie: We went out to dinner for my birthday and stopped at Andy's on our way home. It had started to rain by the time we got there, so Nick went up by himself to order. He came back to the car and walked over to the passenger side, which was odd. He opened the door and handed me the ice cream and I said, "What are you doing? Get in the car!" I turned to set the ice cream down, and when I turned back towards him, he was down on one knee in the rain. My heart began to race, and I don't think I heard a word of what he was saying before he finished with "Will you marry me?" Haha!
How did you meet?
Nick: We met through a mutual friend that I went to school with from elementary until graduation. Annemarie worked with Isabel at the hospital in Columbia, and we basically went on a blind date after chatting for a few weeks prior.
Annemarie: I worked with his good friend, Isabel at the hospital. She was always trying to set me up with people, but most were so far from being my type that I never even wanted to meet them. One weekend I was at home visiting my parents, and I woke up to a text message from a random number. It was Nick. He apologized for the random message, but he said he had been hanging out with Isabel the night before and that she wouldn't stop talking about me. He thought he needed to at least reach out and make an attempt to talk to me. I rolled my eyes at Isabel's attempt to try and set us up and thought, "here we go again..." I finally responded to him that evening, and we ended up texting pretty much nonstop for the next couple weeks until my work and travel schedule allowed for us to finally meet in person. We ended up going out 3 times in 5 days' time after our first date, and the rest is history!
What are three words to describe the feel of your upcoming wedding?
Nick: Anxious, Overdue, Overwhelming-joy
Annemarie: Sweet, but simple. Laid back. FUN!
Do you have any advice for recently engaged brides to help them stay stress-free throughout the planning process?
Nick: Give the Bride what she wants. It's her day. I haven't felt much stress due to wedding planning because I haven't been very involved. Part of that is due to work, but a large part of it is because I have complete faith and trust in Annemarie. She lives for this stuff. And I really enjoy seeing her thoughts come to fruition.
Annemarie: I don't think it's realistic to attempt to stay "stress-free." Whether the stress is good or bad, it's going to be there throughout the whole process no matter what! My biggest piece of advice would be to just focus on what's most important at the end of the day, which is that you're going to be married to your best friend. The other details are important, but at the end of it all, most of them won't be remembered by you or your guests. Picture how you want that day to go and do your best to make it happen the way YOU want it to. Tuning out outside opinions can be hard, but its YOUR day and nobody else's!
So far, what aspect of planning your wedding been the most fun?
Nick: The most enjoyable aspect for me has been Annemarie taking the reigns on everything and allowing me to settle into my new career as a Loan Officer. I will never be able to pay her back for the burden she took on in planning this whole damn thing.
Annemarie: Oh gosh, I don't know. Lots of it has been enjoyable! I like making plans, working with deadlines, and checking things off lists! Mostly though, I find the most joy when I picture walking down that aisle towards Nick. Nothing else about the wedding really matters.
What are you most excited about for your wedding?
Nick: I'm excited about seeing all of the people I love, watching me get married to my best friend and the person who knows me better than anyone. I'm also excited to watch Easton watch us get married, because I believe we have set good examples for him thus far, but throwing those rings on is the start to a whole new ballgame.
Annemarie: I'm most excited to walk down that aisle, finish those vows, and seal it with a big ole kiss! Haha! I feel like a weight will be instantly lifted in that moment and we will be ready to celebrate into the night!
What made you decide to hire a planner?
Nick: I was skeptical, but Annemarie said it was needed. I don't know anything about weddings other than I always have a good time, but I know there's good reasons why Annemarie hired a planner. She doesn't do anything without thinking it through entirely.
Annemarie: I had actually never even considered it until I was a few months into the first round of planning. I always thought it was something people only used when they had super expensive, fancy weddings. It always seemed like something that was a little over-the-top, honestly. But then I had coffee with a girl who was planning to sing during our ceremony, and she mentioned that she worked with a planning company as her side job. I asked her a little more about it, and every answer she gave me had me more interested in checking it out. Eventually, you were recommended to us as someone to consider, and after chatting with you, I knew that if I could squeeze it into our budge that I wouldn't be sorry. I knew there were tons of little details that would need to be taken care of on the day-of, but I was having a hard time coming up with someone I felt like I could assign to that role. A good family friend was basically a day-of coordinator for my sister several years ago and although it was right up her alley, it stole her away from being able to relax and enjoy the day with the rest of us. I didn't want to do that to anyone for mine if I could help it. I also really liked the idea of having someone who would help keep me on track with the planning process and help me consider things I may have never thought of on my own. Being able to discuss things with you thus far has been extremely helpful for me in making decisions and changing things for our new date. It's wonderful to be able to talk about everything with someone who truly understands what you're trying to figure out- and who offers unbiased suggestions! Excited for everything still to come!
Hey, I’m Terra!
Born and raised in Missouri, I’m a grateful wife and dog mom to my rescue pups, Hildi & Lola. I’m a true believer in the pursuit of bold dreams, learning from mistakes, and staying curious.
I'm a girl that lives in her Chacos during the summer, and I'm typically always wearing lipstick. Yes, red is my preference! When I'm not helping engaged couples plan weddings, you'll find me on stage teaching Jazzercise classes. Needless to say, creating engaging experiences that leave people feeling good afterwards is my passion. Seriously!
I’ve created this blog and my wedding packages to empower you to plan an awesome wedding day and put all of the stress and obligations straight into the dumpster! Now that sounds like a party.
