Amy + Caden

Wedding Coordinator: Brooke Casey Weddings

Ceremony + Reception: Abita Quail Farm

Hair: DM Anthony Salon

Makeup: About Face

Florist: Poppy & Mint

Styling: Brooke Casey

Chalkboard: Kelly Draws

DJ: DJ Ronnie Roux

How did you and Caden meet? We met through a mutual friend of ours, Maggie, over the summer of 2011. Maggie (my best friend) moved 5 hours away to go to college at Centenary College, and I was taking a road trip with her the summer of 2011 to see her campus and meet some of her friends! When we arrived on campus, I was introduced to Maggie’s close friend she had made her freshman year – Mariah. Mariah and I immediately hit it off, and the three of us bonded over the next few hours exploring their campus. While exploring, Mariah begun telling us of a friend of hers from “down the bayou” who was transferring to Centenary and moving his things in that day. Naturally, I was curious about who he was, but didn’t think too much about it. Fast-forward a few hours— After walking up & down the dorm hallways, we decided to take a run to get some frozen yogurt. On our way out from the building, a ripped, muscle-shirt wearin’, super attractive guy comes walking towards us. When he stopped to say hey to Mariah, that’s when I realized: it was Caden, her friend from the bayou who was a transfer student. In meeting him that day, I knew from the moment we were introduced that there was something different about him… Something I wanted I know more about. 🙂 Through random visits back home to surprise texts, Caden and I grew to know one another more as friends over the next two years. It wasn’t until March 2013 that we finally began dating.

How did he propose? I went to college in Birmingham, AL at Samford University (Go Dogs!). There is a local coffee shop right down the road that I went to throughout my four years there: O’Henrys Coffee. O’Henrys was my place for everything: studying, reading, praying, visiting, people-watching, you name it. It had become a part of who I was while living there and held a very special place in my heart. Over the year and a half that Caden and I dated, he would come visit me in Birmingham. While he was in town, we would always make a trip (or 4…) to O’Henrys for coffee. We made so many memories there.. talking, planning, etc.

In May on the morning after I graduated from college, I was supposed to be moving out of my apartment and Caden was to be helping me. My family had left the night before to drive all the way back to Louisiana after attending my graduation. Caden & I made plans to grab coffee at O’Henrys before packing. That morning, Caden picked me up and we drove to the coffee shop, listening to “our song”… ‘You Have Won My Heart’ by Bryan McCleery. When we got there, we ordered coffee & sat at one of the tables to drink it. As soon as we sat down, my ears perked up… All of a sudden on the radio, I heard a familiar song that made my heart start to beat reeeeally fast. “…Up on the mountain, and down in the valley low, you have my heart…” It was our song. When I looked at Caden and asked what was going on, he smiled, took my hand, and stood with me in the middle of the shop. It was there that he said some beautiful words to my heart and soul, and there that he asked me to marry him. I managed to get a ‘yes’ out through the laughter and shock, but it wasn’t quite over. After we hugged, Caden told me to turn around.. And there in the back windows of the coffee shop, I saw all of my family, his family, and our friends from all over standing and waving, waiting outside to welcome & celebrate with us. Just seeing them there, I couldn’t contain it. Tears began streaming down my face as we headed out the door to meet them.

What are a couple of your most memorable moments from the wedding day? Oh gosh, so many memories to pick from! I think one of the most memorable moments for me from that day was when Caden’s younger brother & sister basically owned the dance floor at the start of our reception! Camryn (who is 13…) is the life of party wherever she goes; Caz (he’s 15..) is a secret dancer who is actually really amazing. A few minutes after our reception started, our DJ started playing ‘The Whip.’ Now, I like to dance, but I was too concerned about grabbing a bite to eat that I didn’t go show off right away. 😉 but as I looked over to the dance floor, I saw a huge circle had formed. I walked over and found none other than Camryn and Caz leading the rest of the bridal party, aunts, cousins, etc. in the whip/nay-nay! They were soaking up every moment of the limelight- it was awesome!!!

Another moment I won’t ever forget is the moment my dad and brother saw me in my wedding dress for the first time. My brother Collin is a Marine, and he was able to come in for our wedding (I hadn’t seen him for over 6 months prior). When both those guys saw me, their eyes swelled with tears and it was just such a touching moment for me. I am so close to my brother & dad, and it truly made me feel like a princess watching their reaction to how I looked. 🙂