LOVE STORIES

Olivia + Jesse

It all started back in the third grade…

“It was fall 1999. I was starting my first day at a new school. I couldn’t have been more than a seat away from Olivia. I distinctly remember her long long black hair.”

“Jesse and I meet in Wright, Wyoming. Wright is a very small town of about 1,800 people. We have two schools, an elementary school and a junior/senior high. When he moved to town he was placed in Mrs. Anderson’s class, and that was the day he became my very first crush. We spent the rest of our time in elementary school through junior high and high school as best friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, exes, and everything in between. We drifted apart through our college years, getting in touch every now and then. I went on to have my son Oliver and Jesse moved back to North Dakota. Fate would have it that we would find each other again. And now we get to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Olivia had to take a 3 month trip to Virginia shortly after Jesse moved back to Wyoming. He already had it in my head that he was going to propose to her by summer. But when you’re crazy about someone and they leave for 3 month, your mind goes wild! Marrying her was all he could think about when she was gone. After a night shift he came home, ordered a ring and bought a ticket to North Carolina. “I had googled several spots that would be good for proposing, finally I found a botanical garden in Wilmington. She had no clue I had planned to propose that day. She was even so shocked (and thought I was tricking her) she told me to stand up!”

“We spent our first night in Durham exploring the city, where we found one of our favorite breweries- Ponysaurus. The next morning we woke up and drove two hours south to Wilmington (where most of One Tree Hill was filmed, big OTH fan!), it is such a beautiful old town, settled right on the beach. Jesse had been very weird all morning- really quiet, like something was on his mind. I was worried but he told me he was okay, and that he had planned for us to go visit the Airlie Gardens. This was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It is a really old Botanical Southern garden- full of magnolias, azaleas, and hundred-year-old willow trees. So we’re walking around and we walk down this walkway that opens up to this beautiful pond. I’m looking around and Jesse is talking and when I turn around I see him down on one knee. I go into a minor daze and start panicking because I thought this is one of those times that he was messing with me. I’m very shy with strangers and I get very nervous when there is attention on me and I’m thinking he is pretending to propose in front of these strangers to make me laugh- so I actually grab his arms and say “don’t!” and try and get him to stand up. Then I realize, the people we had just walked past were no longer around, and he is holding up one of the most beautiful rings I’ve ever seen, and that this is no joke. Of course I say “sure”, it is an ongoing thing between us but it definitely means yes, yes, yes! We spent the rest of the day in downtown Wilmington and celebrated our new engagement. He went back home to Wright after the weekend, and I started looking for the perfect place to celebrate our life and that’s when I found Wildflower! It was the first and only place I looked at. I knew it was the right place for us.”

(A fun sidenote: 3 separate individuals from this family contacted our venue and they all wanted to “surprise” each another by booking a date! WE. ARE. HONORED!)

“Jesse really is the better half of me. He has a very warming and inviting personality; he makes new friends everywhere he goes and he is so well liked. (whereas I can be so shy so I am rarely like that). His sense of humor is the best and usually inappropriate, but that’s what we all love about him. He has my mom in tears from laughing so hard almost daily! He keeps our relationship fun and never too serious; we are always joking and picking on each other. I always joke and call him the best housewife, because he is always making sure that everyone is okay and taken care of, or asking what needs done, or what he can do to help even after he gets home from a 13 hour shift at work. He’s never mad, never complains, he just really loves us, and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better person to spend my life with.”

“Olivia, I love that your humor meshes with mine. We can both play off each other and be ridiculous. I love that you care so deeply for animals that shed and I enjoy laughing at your obsession for crunch wraps.

As their wedding day approaches, Olivia and Jesse look forward to…

“Our work schedules keep us really busy and we don’t get a lot of time to see everyone, so we are really looking forward to having everyone together to celebrate with us. Our friends and family really enjoy a good party and I think it’s just going to be a memorable night with good people, and good food!” Olivia says.

Jesse adds, “We have such a long history with all our mutual friends that will be attending the wedding. That alone has me so excited, for the people that we grew up with to be watching us get married, and celebrating with us, aside from making her kiss me in front of 200 people.”

Congratulations Olivia and Jesse! We are so excited to be hosting your wedding.

Stay tuned for engagement photos and the newlyweds Happily Ever After posted coming fall of 2019.