These two love birds have moved all over the US and ended up right here in Kansas City. Meredith was born in Maryland and then lived in Virginia and Michigan before moving to Kansas in the 4th grade. Stewart was born in California, lived in Wisconsin before moving to Kansas in the 3rd grade but then moved to Virginia and then back to Kansas his Sophomore year of high school. Now, between all of that shuffling around, when did they actually first meet? The answer to that would be at Cottonwood Point Elementary School in the fourth grade!
As for their first date, they couldn’t pin point an exact time and location. But one thing they did know for sure is that they were in love and ready to move in together! The actual story about how they got to that point goes like this… Stewart said “The first time we dated for only 2 or 3 months”, which consisted of the last month of their senior year of high school and well into the summer. Then college rolled around but they still kept in touch, he even would make her dinner every ounce and awhile. Meredith added that he would always bring her a bottle of wine for Christmas, which she thought was very sweet. However, she said she didn’t think much of it at the time, “he’s a nice guy…I just thought he was being nice”. So, finally in 2010 they officially started dating, which would make their five year anniversary this Christmas!
Meredith now works as an Event Manager for the State of Kansas for MKTG Inc. representing the Diageo portfolio and Stewart is a Kitchen Manager for the Houlihan’s Corporation in Olathe.
Well, after all of that moving around and dating on and off, Stewart had to deliver with a knock out proposal…and he did!
-Meredith: “After thinking Stew had, had a tough day at work, I brought home food and ordered a movie (which he didn’t pay attention to at all). After the movie was over, Stewart said he needed 15 minutes to get stuff out of his car and put a load of laundry in, so he’d meet me up in bed. 15 minutes later, he came up to see if I wanted to join him outside.”
-Stewart: “When she came outside, there were foam light sticks in between every railing of our deck that I turned on in order to go in a pattern. Her reaction to that was ‘Wow, cool…is this for Christmas?’. So, I played it cool and went along with the Christmas thing for a moment.
-Meredith: “I then noticed that down to my right on our patio were ALL of the dried bouquets of roses that he had gotten me throughout the years sitting in a large vase which made me ask ‘Babe, what are my flowers doing out here, isn’t it too cold for them?’.”
-Stewart: “At which point I told her I wanted to ask her something. This is the first time it had dawned on her what was going on.”
-Meredith: “I don’t remember a thing after that…I was too excited!”
I love this next part, you know, the part where they say what their favorite thing about each other is. They gave the most heartfelt responses. Stewart said “She has drive and doesn’t give up, no matter what. She is tenacious”. Meredith said “He’s funny. Whether he is meaning to be or not, both versions can always put a smile on my face and pull me out of even the worst of funks”. Now that’s the type of person you need in your life!
What they are both looking forward to the most about getting married is……”for people to finally stop asking us ‘when are you going to get married?’” haha Well…they won’t have to worry about that anymore, that’s for sure! When it comes to getting married at the farm, they are looking forward to “A relaxed environment where we can just enjoy the company of all our friends and family who’ve honored us by sharing our big day with us!”
Meredith and Stewart will be swaying around the dance floor to the most unique song that I have heard for a first dance, and it describes them perfectly. But first, the back story. They make weekly household bets on games they play. “Often times it’s Mario Kart or Mario Party”, Meredith said. So…they chose ‘Mario Kart Love Song’ as their first dance song. “We couldn’t resist. We just lucked out that it both described our love and had a nice tune to it…but we would have picked it anyway.”
The day after their wedding at Fresh Air Farm, they will be heading off to Turks and Caicos for their honeymoon! Talk about doing it right! Their happily ever after is “To have seen each other through a lifetime of ups and downs and still be the only people each other want to see at the end of a long day”. That’s pretty special!
