Meet amber & adam
8.15.20
The day I will marry my best friend. The one i laugh with, live for, dream with, and love.
Days Until Our Wedding
Amber:
We met up at Nami Ramen in Clayton on September 11, 2016. I was nervous. I had been on a couple of dates from the dating app but they never really felt right. My sister, Taylor, helped me find an outfit and I tried to get there early but, Clayton as it is, I ended up being late trying find parking. He was standing in the front of the restaurant and smiled at me when I said hello. We spent a good amount of time talking about everything: our jobs, pets, hobbies, etc. I liked the fact he was also an animal person and loved that he seemed to be the perfect mix of athletic and nerd. We ended up closing out the ramen shop but neither of us was ready to leave just yet. We walked around Clayton, continuing our conversations. We made up what the lives were like in the upscale Clayton homes we past. Then we found a playground and began to play on in. It was honestly the best first date I've ever had.
Adam:
Our first date was at a ramen shop near my neighborhood a few months after I just moved to St. Louis. I had been there a few times before while exploring the city and knew it was near a bar spot so if it when well there were options close by. I thought it would be casual, jeans and a t-shirt. She did . . not. I was sitting in the window and saw Amber walk up; full make-up, nice clothes, heels? Clearly, I was under dressed or she over. For a split second I panicked, WHAT DID I DO?? We both saw the other a bit embarrassed which helped break the ice and created a story both of love to share. The date went smoothly, good food and good company tend to do that. We walked around the neighborhood looking at "rich people" houses. She geeked out over different types of columns while we both made up stories about who lived where. The capstone of the night was swinging in the kiddie swings of the neighborhood playground.t date. We had a great dinner stuck in a tight little corner where we got to know each other through forced proximity. Before we left for the Central West End to meet up with our friends I know we had something special.
First Date
Amber:
We were in Edinburgh, Scotland. The rugby team I had been a part of (Sabres) was taking part in an international tournament in Preston, England and we decided to make a vacation out of it by going to Scotland for the days prior to the tournament. Little did we know when we first booked it that half of our time there would be during the years largest festival season. There were so many people. Our second full day there (August 26, 2019) was the last day of the festivals. We took a few tours around Edinburgh, one of which happened to be a Whiskey Experience tour where we learned about the distillery process, the different regions of Scottish Whiskey, and were able to try a few while having a nice spread of traditional Scottish food. We had discovered earlier that there would be fireworks shot from Edinburgh Castle while the Scottish National Orchestra played a medley in the gardens below the Royal Mile. We found a spot on one of the streets leading the Royal Mile and waited. The fireworks were beautiful; they illuminated the castle perfectly. The music was the icing on the proverbial cake. We were standing, his arms wrapped around me, when I felt one of his hands drift away from me. He pulled me close and asked to see my hand. He slipped the ring on my finger and whispered "Will you marry me?" in my ear while I was wrapped in his arms. I remember just turning around and hugging him. I think he had to actually ask again so I would give him an answer.
Adam:
Short of the long: I wanted to propose while traveling to Scotland mostly because I didn't think I would ever find any moment nearly as good. Short of the short: good intentions, no plan. I spent a good amount of time our first day or two agonizing over how to propose; should it be on a tour? Near a famous monument? What about hiking up Arthur's Seat (famous mountain) and proposing with Edinburgh laid out below? Nothing really stuck nor seemed right. On top of that, I nearly got the ring taken from me during a bag check in London. Luckily enough, Amber had left the room when the security guy pulled it from my bag and opened it. He saw it, saw her round the corner, put it back then wished me luck. While in Edinburgh we spent some time on the Royal Mile seeing the sights. We shared drinks and a table with two older couples from England and made quick friends (well I made friends, Amber followed along). The wives and Amber went to the toilet while I quickly grilled the gents for tips. They had been around the area and I thought they could help. I received good ideas and kind words, but nothing really seemed right. Later that day we had a tour and dinner reservations at the World Whiskey Exchange. I knew the end of The Fringe Festival was that night and the Scottish National Orchestra was playing a show in the park below the Mile. Basically the tour started and I found some form of determination while secured in a tilt-a-whirl like tour car somewhere between "the spirit is then boiled out of the mash" and "charred oak barrels are filled with raw spirit" parts of the whiskey making process. The rest was nervousness slightly dulled by good scotch and a great dinner. We walked down the hill to be closer to the park and the music. People everywhere. I won't lie, I had no intention of getting on one knee, much less doing so in front of many strangers, I find the act too cliche. We worked our way further down the hill to a spot we could see Edinburgh Castle through the trees, back lit by fireworks. Now it felt right. I palmed the ring, hugged Amber from behind, grabbed her hand and placed the ring on her finger while whispering one question in her ear.
Proposal
August 15, 2020
