Nate & Lindsay - Engagement Photos

So.  This story is kinda long, but it's REALLY good. If you don't have time to read it, here's the summary:  I set them up, and now they're getting married!  Yay! :D  But you should read the long story - it's way better.

First of all, meet Nate & Lindsay!

I've known Nate since high school.  We were both involved with Young Life at two different high schools that went to camp together.  He spent many summer nights sleeping under the pool table in our basement along with a few other guys - they were always over hanging out with my brother.  We both started going to a young adult ministry called Intermission and remained friends.

Lindsay was born in South Africa and spent most of her life there.  She came here with an au pair program & spent the last few years caring for the Dobbyn girls.  Although her program was temporary, she planned to find a way to stay in the States for good.  I met her when we were at the same membership class at Covenant Life - we started hanging out and became close friends!

It occurred to me fairly early in my friendship with Lindsay that she & Nate would make a really good match.  The most obvious (but probably least significant!) reason was height: she's 6 feet tall, and he's 6'7!  Most of the reason was their personalities.  I felt pretty sure that they'd be a good fit, but there was never really a moment when I thought, "Oh!  Now's the time that I should tell Lindsay & Nate about each other."

Then one early morning in September, I received a distraught call from Lindsay.  "I have some news for you," she told me. "I have to go back."  As she began telling me about a meeting with an immigration lawyer and how none of her previously made plans for staying were holding up, all I could think about was how I hadn't told her about Nate yet.  I couldn't decide if I should still say anything.  She only had three months left in the States.  Was it too late?  If he wasn't right for her, wouldn't it just be even more stress for her to have to think about some guy in the last few months she had left here?  I eventually decided that I'd be more likely to regret NOT introducing them than choosing TO introduce them.

Lindsay was well-aware that one of the easiest ways for her to stay in the country would be if she was to get married.  So one morning at church, she joked with me, "So!  How many guys have you got lined up for me??"  I told her, "Just one - but this is serious!"  I told her about Nate and how well I thought they'd fit together.  She was very hesitant at first, as any normal person would be if they only had three months to get to know a potential future spouse, but eventually agreed to at least meet him if I would come along with a few other people.

Now it was time to tell Nate.  One night at Intermission, he ironically said something about au pairs and South Africa.  I pulled him aside and said, "Speaking of au pairs and South Africa, I have something to tell you afterwards!"  After the meeting ended, I began to tell him about my friend Lindsay and how well I thought they'd fit together.  He seemed a little overwhelmed thinking about it, but he was coping pretty well.  Then I proceeded to tell him that she was from South Africa and would need to leave the country in about three months (implying that the only thing that could keep her from going would be the two of them getting married).  His eyes got very wide, he grabbed his stuff, and started walking towards his car.  I chased at his heels, increasingly speeding up the last few details about when and where they could meet.  I think I just barely got the last few words out before his car door shut.  At that point, I assumed it was over.  I had done my duty, but he wasn't interested.

So the event where they were supposed to meet had already been set up - I had invited a bunch of people to get dinner at the Cheesecake Factory that Friday night.  It looked like it was only going to be me & Lindsay and a bunch of other girls.  But about an hour before everyone was supposed to meet up for dinner, I got a text from Nate: "So... are you guys still doing something, even though I decided not to come?"  I told him yes, that we'd be meeting at the Cheesecake Factory in about an hour.  He texted back, "Ok.  I'm coming."

So they officially met that night (they had been in the same environments as each other a little before that).  It was fairly awkward, as it's bound to be when two people meet for the first time and are told they're supposed to like each other.  They didn't talk to each other a whole lot; it was mostly just a normal night of hanging out.  By the end of the night, it still didn't seem like much was going to happen.

A couple weeks later, I had a birthday party at my house that they both came to.  After a while of both of them passing in and out of different conversations, they ended up in a conversation with each other - and it clicked!  They talked for the rest of the night.  Their conversation was filled with laughter and jokes and playing off of each other's personalities.  It was obvious how much they liked each other already. :)

And Nate took it from there.  After that night, they started hanging out a LOT.  They got to know each other very quickly.  During this time, I got many a call from Lindsay babbling, "Oh my goodness Sarah, I like him soooo much!  I've never liked anyone so much in all my life!  I mean, there's nothing I don't like about him!  The other night, we talked for three hours, but it only felt like five minutes!  And..." ...so on and so forth. :)

It didn't take long for them to begin dating!  They knew it would be a tough situation, but liked each other so much they knew they couldn't just let it go.

When the time drew nearer for her to return to South Africa, they had plans in place that they would still continue the relationship after she went back.  They would talk on Skype all the time, and he would fly over to visit her every three months or so.  Of course it wasn't ideal, but it was the best plan they could come up with.  At this point, they already knew they wanted to get married!

Right around the turn of the year, closing in on the time when she was scheduled to leave, I got another call from Lindsay with some big news.  "I have some news for you," she said.  "I'm not going back!"  She went on to tell me how they had met with the immigration lawyer again and found another option - she could get a six-month extension where they would need to get engaged and married within that time.

So that's what they chose to do!  Since they already knew they wanted to get married, it only made sense for her to not have to go back and risk not being able to get back in the country.  It's been crazy-busy for them trying to get everything done in that time, but it's going to happen - they're getting married! :D

Lindsay and Nate, I'm so so so happy for you both.  I can't WAIT til the wedding! :D

PS- The wedding is on May 1 - keep an eye on Lydia Jane's blog for the wedding photos!

*~*~*~*~*

On to the photos!

We took all the photos at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.  There is a never-ending supply of beautiful spots surrounding that building.  

Half the shots were fun, crazy shots in casual clothes; the other half were more sophisticated shots in dressy clothes.  We'll start with the fun ones. :)

Lindsay paying homage to her home country :)

Both such goofballs :P

On to the dressier shots!  I think this group of shots sums up their relationship pretty well... :)