The Loft

Wedding Day

Spring

Our Wedding

Alison&nbsp;has&nbsp;always&nbsp;said&nbsp;how&nbsp;deeply&nbsp;she's&nbsp;desired&nbsp;a&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;to&nbsp;form&nbsp;from&nbsp;a&nbsp;friendship&nbsp;first&nbsp;-&nbsp;and&nbsp;when&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Waldon&nbsp;first&nbsp;walked&nbsp;into&nbsp;Samayra&nbsp;Coffee&nbsp;Co&nbsp;back&nbsp;in&nbsp;February&nbsp;2021.,&nbsp;joining&nbsp;Evergreen&nbsp;Church's&nbsp;young&nbsp;adults'&nbsp;group,&nbsp;Ali&nbsp;could&nbsp;have&nbsp;no&nbsp;way&nbsp;of&nbsp;knowing&nbsp;just&nbsp;how&nbsp;much&nbsp;he&nbsp;would&nbsp;come&nbsp;to&nbsp;mean&nbsp;to&nbsp;her. One&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;friends&nbsp;invited&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;to&nbsp;come&nbsp;out&nbsp;with&nbsp;them&nbsp;to&nbsp;eat&nbsp;after&nbsp;group,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;tradition&nbsp;continued&nbsp;every&nbsp;week&nbsp;after&nbsp;that.&nbsp;For&nbsp;the&nbsp;next&nbsp;few&nbsp;months,&nbsp;their&nbsp;friendship&nbsp;grew&nbsp;within&nbsp;the&nbsp;group&nbsp;-&nbsp;from&nbsp;late&nbsp;summer&nbsp;nights&nbsp;spent&nbsp;dancing&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Applebee's&nbsp;parking&nbsp;lot,&nbsp;to&nbsp;pool&nbsp;parties,&nbsp;game&nbsp;nights,&nbsp;and&nbsp;even&nbsp;a&nbsp;trip&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;zoo,&nbsp;with&nbsp;Alison&nbsp;on&nbsp;crutches.&nbsp;When&nbsp;June&nbsp;rolled&nbsp;around&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;gifted&nbsp;Ali&nbsp;a&nbsp;couple&nbsp;of&nbsp;books&nbsp;for&nbsp;her&nbsp;birthday,&nbsp;she&nbsp;started&nbsp;to&nbsp;notice&nbsp;him&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;new&nbsp;way.&nbsp;To&nbsp;her,&nbsp;though,&nbsp;they&nbsp;were&nbsp;still&nbsp;'just&nbsp;friends,'&nbsp;of&nbsp;course.&nbsp;Always&nbsp;'just&nbsp;friends'&nbsp;;)

Where we met...

Somewhere between weekly dinners with the group, worship nights, trampolining, and trading books, 'hanging out' began to feel like something a lot more. The lines began to blur, and Alison started to realize - this punk who'd become a friend really meant a lot more to her. She really liked him. She'd even say yes to a date if he asked.And he did.By October, they'd gone on their first date - to Rutledge Corn Maze. But when Jeff pulled up to the Vincent house to pick Ali up for their first date, he'd already met with his first 'test.' Alison glanced out the window and ran out the front door when she saw Jeff getting out of his car... to her mother and her Uncle Keith standing in the driveway. They say the timing was simple coincidence, but Alison knew the pair of them had gotten a kick out of meeting Jeff right there. Fortunately, when Jeff opened the car door for her, he gained some points right away.At the maze, Alison did her best to be herself - which meant cutting through the corn wherever she pleased and laughing as Jeff fought to keep up without breaking the rules. At one point, Alison scaled to the top of a bridge lookout and saw Jeff standing atop the other across the maze. Her phone rang, and she answered, taunting Jeff that he had two minutes to make it back to her or she'd run off again. It was perfect. Afterward, Jeff drove her through Eagan's for burgers and fries, which they took back to his apartment to finish the night off with dinner and a movie.

Our first date...

We&nbsp;read&nbsp;once&nbsp;-&nbsp;"You'll&nbsp;never&nbsp;truly&nbsp;know&nbsp;someone&nbsp;well&nbsp;enough&nbsp;to&nbsp;marry&nbsp;until&nbsp;you've&nbsp;seen&nbsp;them&nbsp;struggle&nbsp;financially,&nbsp;grieve&nbsp;a&nbsp;lost&nbsp;loved&nbsp;one,&nbsp;or&nbsp;witness&nbsp;them&nbsp;while&nbsp;they're&nbsp;sick." In&nbsp;their&nbsp;dating&nbsp;relationship,&nbsp;Jeffrey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alison&nbsp;saw&nbsp;it&nbsp;all&nbsp;-&nbsp;and&nbsp;it&nbsp;brought&nbsp;them&nbsp;closer&nbsp;together,&nbsp;even&nbsp;as&nbsp;many&nbsp;things&nbsp;around&nbsp;them&nbsp;seemed&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;falling&nbsp;apart.&nbsp;In&nbsp;these&nbsp;times&nbsp;of&nbsp;heartache&nbsp;or&nbsp;frustration,&nbsp;Jeffrey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alison&nbsp;learned&nbsp;how&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;there&nbsp;for&nbsp;one&nbsp;another,&nbsp;work&nbsp;together,&nbsp;and&nbsp;through&nbsp;it&nbsp;all,&nbsp;continued&nbsp;to&nbsp;point&nbsp;one&nbsp;another&nbsp;to&nbsp;God.&nbsp;When&nbsp;Alison&nbsp;went&nbsp;through&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;darkest&nbsp;times&nbsp;in&nbsp;her&nbsp;life&nbsp;so&nbsp;far,&nbsp;heavy&nbsp;with&nbsp;grief,&nbsp;the&nbsp;way&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;was&nbsp;always&nbsp;there&nbsp;for&nbsp;her&nbsp;helped&nbsp;her&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;sure&nbsp;-&nbsp;this&nbsp;was&nbsp;the&nbsp;man&nbsp;she&nbsp;would&nbsp;marry.

Jeffrey & Alison

Jeffrey & Alison

Wedding Party