I’ve always wanted to write one of these love stories. We’re just a few days from our wedding and I am so overjoyed to marry Seth. Here’s part three of our story, I hope you enjoy it.
{Photo by Britt of Render Photography}
The days after our second date bleed together for me, but it seemed as if after our dinner at my apartment that we were never apart. The weather was just starting to turn, leaving behind humidity for the warm but crisp days of late summer. I was starting to book my fall sessions and couldn’t wait for another busy season. In the meantime, this new romance with Seth was all I could think about or talk about with my girlfriends. I’d moved to St. Paul a few years beforehand and Seth had shared that he used to live off Shepherd Road. How could he leave the better of the twin cities?! I thought to myself. They always say you date Minneapolis, but you marry St. Paul. Living in my fun, art deco apartment felt like its own dream. I had been featured on Apartment Therapy, a longtime goal of mine. Maybe I could convince Seth to move back across the river?
The first time I walked into his place my mouth dropped open. I’m not usually impressed, but this was a shift, which I was coming to realize was the norm for this romance. Everything was going to be and feel different. Where were the dirty popcorn balls and toilet paperless bathrooms? I stormed into my nanny job the next morning to tell my boss Dawn all about Seth’s beautiful condo {PS, it’s for sale, want to buy it?!}. By this point I think Mike was sick of hearing about me gush, but Dawn was all ears: “it’s stunning, he has all antique and vintage things he’s collected. It’s right by Gold Medal park.” I did the same when I met my friend Kimi for a shoot down by Hidden Falls Park. Her son KK danced along the river and we shot the bursting, yellow leaves. Kimi shared her own love story with me, “I told Kyle that I loved him early on.”
This is the ridiculous part of the story where I share that I, as a thirty-year-old woman, knew I was in love with Seth after just a few dates. It’s outrageous, and under normal circumstances it should have been. This, again, though, wasn’t a common dating experience.
That night Seth invited me back over for pizza and beer at Day Block. We sat across from each other in the booth, smiling ridiculous grins, and splitting a pepperoni pie. This would be the first of many pizza nights, including the very evening we got engaged. Afterward, we sat on Seth’s living room couch, chatting, drinking wine, and discussing our plans for the rest of the evening. We had talked so much by that point that I felt like I knew him very, very well. He stepped out for a few minutes to walk Astro and I furiously sent a text to Kimi: “I love him!” She replied, “you need to tell him.” What!? But, again, why not? I had nothing to lose. I steeled myself for him to come upstairs.
I heard the latch of the door. He was back, a tail wagging, and the jingle of Astro’s collar. He sat back down. I smiled. We started talking again. Seth then looked at me and said, “I already feel very strongly for you, but I don’t want to intimidate or scare you.” I looked back at him, “you won’t scare me.” He smiled, “I love you.” !!! What! How could he have been thinking the exactly the same thing? I replied, “I love you, too.” We giggled and kissed.
Yes, I absolutely roll my eyes at myself, but this is a love story after all.
I’d spent the majority of the winter dreaming about a photography program in Italy, but now I didn’t want to leave. Seth promised me he’d pick me up from the airport, but I wondered as my plane took off from MSP headed to Paris where I’d catch my connection to Naples, would he still be there when I came home two weeks later? My program turned out to be the most decadent and fun experience. The Secret Retreat was hosted by a few London based wedding photographers and we learned and worked out of the cutest, boutique hotel in Castleabatte. Each day I joined other women in learning, shoot outs, and amazingly wonderful long dinners that lasted long after the sun set. Because we had Wi-Fi and the world has figured out a way to make iPhones work everywhere, Seth and I could message each other. He told me he missed me often, and to hurry home, yet celebrated and encouraged me in all the fun I was having. On the final evening, “party night,” of my program everyone received a pretty, simple silver bracelet with a star charm. The band played Prince just for me, and I took a video of their performance and photo of the bracelet to show Seth. He was up still, and responded immediately, “I love that song! You deserve all the jewelry. I can’t wait to spoil you!” Needless to say, seeing Seth after two weeks felt joyous. We only had a few hours together as he’d turn around to go on a fishing trip to Canada. Thanks to forgetting to renew his passport we got to steal a few moments at my place in St. Paul.
Within a few weeks we’d introduced each other to our families. My dad had Seth and I over for dinner one weeknight evening and fell in love with him immediately. “I knew he was the right man for you when I saw him walk around that corner,” he’d point to the entryway. I won’t forget the first time Seth took me down to Worthington to see where he grew up and meet his parents. I was a ball of nervousness, so I did whatever I do when I’m a little overwhelmed: I baked. Seth had already fallen prey to my sea salt chocolate chip cookies that I’d made him before my trip to Italy, but now I prepared pie crust for a Dutch apple pie. It might have still been eighty something outside, but I was channeling fall with all my might.
On the way down I was full of nerves. Seth, sensing me getting quiet, enveloped my hand in his. Without taking his eyes of the road, miles of Minnesota farmland and golden fields surrounding us he said, “don’t worry, they will love you.” Meeting Greg, Cindy, their dogs, and seeing where Seth grew up turned out to be lovely. We drove around the quaint streets and Seth showed me his high school, the first home he’d ever lived in, everything. In the afternoon, we visited a local vineyard and sat outside drinking wine flights. It felt like the perfect start to both of our favorite seasons, and I was so happy to be in love and with the man I was pretty certain I’d marry.
We had started talking about marriage, mostly joking, but I was hoping there was truth to Seth’s humor. As the days continued to pass, we grew closer and closer. I was even taking to Astro, despite always saying I’d never have a dog. One weekend Seth asked me to housesit for him and Astro slept next to me every night. After returning, Seth and I started making plans for the rest of the fall. He wanted to host a giant Halloween party at his place and go on a trip together. We sat at his parent’s counter and booked our first trip together, an adventure to NOLA, right after Thanksgiving.
