These two met two years ago on Cinco de Mayo at a party thrown by Andrew’s brother and his wife, who specifically orchestrated the event for Brigid and Andrew– it was a setup!
Brigid didn’t know it was a setup, but Andrew did. Brigid remarks that it was not “love at first handshake,” (ha!) but after a couple Budlight Limes, she warmed up to the idea of a younger man. With a little liquid courage, she decided it was time to take the party elsewhere and headed to the bar to meet friends. She asked some friends to meet them at Roja and then Bogies Out West for some margaritas. Brigid and Andrew hit it off and ended up hanging out most of the weekend and ended the weekend by going to Mass Sunday evening. Brigid says the rest is history because they kept hanging out all week and then 10 days later Andrew introduced Brigid to his parents and his older sister, Erica. From there they had a summer filled with boating, bow-fishing, lake days almost every evening, and a whole lotta fun. Brigid remarks that they were brutally honest with each other from the beginning and did Dave Ramsey together, which laid the foundation for a strong relationship and it has been a rewarding journey.
You may be wondering why there’s not an engagement session with these two sweethearts, and that’s because Brigid and Andrew were living in Nebraska while planning the wedding. They were planning on flying in Halloween weekend, but Brigid unexpectedly caught Covid. While I usually share the proposal story on the engagement session blog post, I wanted to share their fun & sweet proposal.
Andrew proposed on Cinco De Mayo 2020; exactly one year after they met. Andrew told Brigid to get ready because they were going to go out, but didn’t tell her where. The first place they were going was the church Andrew grew up going to and was near Andrew’s parent’s home. Brigid said Andrew was very tense and nonverbal on the car ride, so she started guessing where they were going to herself and she thought they might be going to his parent’s house, since they were headed in that direction. Andrew drove to his family’s church and when they got to the church they tried to go inside, but the doors were locked. Andrew said he wanted to propose in the Adoration Chapel. Brigid could tell he was still very tense, and at this point she thought “something” might be about to happen, so she suggested that they walk over to the prayer garden. Brigid said Andrew was still very nonverbal and so she started asking random questions and started walking towards the statue of Mary. When she got to the statue she saw a painted rock and picked it up to show Andrew. When she bent down to put the rock back down, she turned around and saw Andrew down on one knee and he asked her if she would marry him. She, of course, said yes! After he proposed, Andrew wanted to take Brigid to the stops they made on the original night they met. Since this was during Covid, the restaurant was closed, but they were offering a drive through option. They picked up a tub of margaritas and chips & salsa and headed home. They discussed prior to getting engaged that they wanted to keep it quiet from friends and family for a few days, so they could just enjoy the special time together.
A lot of things were thrown at this couple, and I couldn’t imagine Brigid and Andrew showing more grace and happiness. From having their engagement session cancelled due to Covid, to Andrew’s flight being delayed multiple times, to him having to move to three different rooms on the day of the wedding, to their videographer cancelling on the day of their wedding…some couples may have shed a few tears, but Brigid and Andrew still had smiles on their faces and were looking forward to being married. They are both devout Catholics and both said that the ceremony was the most important part of the day; I love that they never lost sight of the fact that through all the bumps, at the end of the day they were going to be married and that was the most important part. I have no doubt that these two are going to have a marriage filled with lots of laughter and that they’re going to be unshakeable. Scroll down below to see Brigid and Andrew!
I’ve always wanted to shoot a Christmas wedding and I love the red pop of the poinsettias on the church stairs. I can’t believe that this was my last wedding of 2020!
Are you looking for a photographer to capture your wedding day? I would love to chat about how I can best capture your special day.