Megan + Nick

How did you meet?

Nick and I met on spring break in college. He went to Auburn, and I went to Alabama. Two rivals that should never be together….the beaches of Destin, Florida just caused it to be destiny…LOL

When did you know they were the one?

Our last semester of college, I left to complete my teaching internship in South Africa. After 6 months apart, we knew that we wanted to move somewhere together after college. Nick got a job in the small beach town of New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Megan followed. Soon after that, we had a puppy, a cute little house, and a new life together.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner

I always joke that Nick is like a dog. He is the most loyal, loving, and kind person I have ever met. No matter the situation, he has a full heart and is always so compassionate to others. He shows me what true selflessness is each and every day.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

A few months after our engagement, I planned a day for my mom and Nick’s mom & sister to come down to Jacksonville, Florida. Here I tried on about 5 different dresses – many Made With Love. I knew that I wanted something unique and different. When I tried on the Boho Riley, my first thought was an instant no. But after a few moments – I turned to the wedding dress consultant and said “wait, I kind of love it”. My family had the same reaction – weirdly enough. After about 10 minutes, no one wanted me to take it off. We knew it was unique, beautiful, and SOOO comfortable. A weird way to fall in love – but perfect! I cannot even begin to tell you how many compliments I have gotten on my dress.

Who proposed and how?

After a year of living together in Florida, I started dropping (not so) subtle hints about Heidi Gibson rings (the best ring designer ever). I, being not so patient, kept asking Nick about it. Little did I know he was working so hard to hide all of his plans. The poor guy had to go to the level of creating fake flight itineraries. On Jan 1^st of 2019, I came home from a day out with some girlfriends, and Nick had decorated our entire car port to look like a scene from a fairy tale. He got down on a knee and proposed. Afterwards, both of our families (that live out of town) came out to join us. I was instantly surprised. But, the surprises didn’t stop there. Once I went inside to find our puppy, there was an entire party waiting for me – including my best friend (and future MOH) that flew across the country to join us. I can honestly say this is the only surprise Nick has ever pulled off, and it was such a magical day.

What was the best moment for you at the wedding?

When I was 13, my father passed away and my wedding was always something I was sad about that he would never get to be there. My older brother, knowing this, spent months watching all of our hundreds of home videos my dad took when we were younger. On the day of my wedding, my brother surprised me with a 5-minute video compilation of home videos of me and my dad. These were videos I haven’t watched since my father passed away. It was such a special moment for me, as well as all of my extended family there. We loved being able to feel my dad’s presence, and watch a bit of my childhood.

What surprised you most at or about your wedding?

The most memorable moment at our wedding was the garter toss. A few months leading up to the wedding, I decided to surprise Nick with an Auburn garter (knowing he would love the fact that I gave into his school), but I also had an ice to surprise him (an alcoholic drink that once you find, you must get on a knee and chug). Now, he isn’t the most coordinated of dancers, so I started getting worried as it got closer. He assured me that he had been practicing his moves and he had a great plan. The day of, I was so worried it was going to be a horrible mess. When I sat down in the chair, all of a sudden, all 8 of his groomsmen surrounded me along with him. The music began, and Nick did his silly dancing. But about 15 seconds in, Nick raised his arms and all of the groomsman popped 10-foot-long streamers that shot into the air. The entire crowd was surprised and dying laughing. He looked at me and said: you shouldn’t have put me in charge of going to the fireworks store a week before the wedding ;). Once again, my husband killed it!

What advice would you tell other brides?

Enjoy each moment – it goes by too fast!

What was the one thing you did differently for your wedding?

Instead of a guest book, we had each person fill out a wedding “mad-lib” that we later made into a book to remember all of our guests! Also, instead of a wedding favor, we had three charities (Brides, Grooms, and Flower Girls) for everyone to choose from. We then donated to the charities in their honor!