Derek and Amanda’s first date was at a local music venue called The Record Bar. They went to listen to Ben Howard that night which ended up kicking off five years of dating. Little did they know that years later they would be getting married and having their first dance to one of his songs! ‘Only Love’ is the song these two chose. They said this musician just seemed to have been a common thread in their relationship since they had their first date seeing him and continued to travel to see him in concert throughout the years.
Now, that brings us to present day. Amanda works as a social worker and Derek is a developer but these two absolutely love to get out in nature and they are currently living in Colorado. Amanda actually had a bucket list goal of visiting every national park there is and she only needed one more park to achieve it. Since Derek was aware of this he decided to craft a plan that would encompass the park as well as…you guessed it…the PROPOSAL!!! It started out like this…they were going to go to a national park in Colorado for a long weekend getaway but the night before Derek suddenly changed the plans (which was the plan all along of course). They headed out to THE park, the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, and enjoyed tons of amazing hiking. At the end of the day they raced to get one more hike in at Sunset Point. Apparently, Amanda was getting a bit grouchy because she was in need of water but Derek was trying his best to stall because he was waiting for that perfect moment. Finally, he asked; “Can we go on a million more hikes? Can we go on a million more adventures?” Amanda said yes, obviously, but when she turned around for one more photo opp, Derek was getting down on one knee!!!
This coming Saturday, Derek and Amanda will be starting yet one more adventure and that is going to be tying the knot. This particular adventure will for sure be the best one yet! Derek actually never got to see the farm until after Amanda had booked the date but she knew without a doubt that he would love it…and he did! Once he stepped foot on the property he said; “This place is perfect, it is a blend of every part of our life”. They are also excited about how perfect it will be for their wide variety of guests coming into town. They both come from small towns and now live in a big city so they feel right at home here. Amanda is originally from Jackson, Missouri while Derek is from Mansfield, Arkansas but we can’t wait for them to be here with us this weekend! Once they say “I Do” and celebrate under the stars with their closest family and friends, they will be off to Spain and Morocco for their honeymoon! Derek wants to run with the bulls and Amanda wants to ride a camel in the Sahara. Talk about adventure!!! Love it!!
When describing each other, they both had equally sweet words to say. Amanda said that her favorite thing about Derek is; “As much as it can drive me nuts sometimes, he is always positive and looking at the brighter side of life and he is able to remind me what’s important”. Derek loves how thoughtful and caring Amanda is. The two are most looking forward to starting new family traditions together and adding some future family members! And of course, their “happily ever after” is a million more adventures together!!!
