Rehearsal Dinner

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Our Wedding

I've spent my whole life trying to write a great love story, and now I finally get to write mine because it's coming true on June 30, 2018!

The best part about this story is all the different ways Brad likes to tell it, but here's the truth:





I remember the first conversation I had with Brad. It was August 20, 2014, and we were in our very first meeting of the class Foundations of Education in the Lovinger Building at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. You always play some "fun" version of the name game on the first day of school, and on this day, Dr. Montgomery simply asked us to go around the room and say our name, where we were from, what year we were, and our major.





Truth be told, I had noticed Brad before he spoke because he was wearing crocs and his hair (RIP to the curls) was wild. I wasn't immediately attracted to him, but I did think, "Wow, that's a guy who doesn't care&nbsp;about what other people think about him. Good for him!"





What motivated me - yes I initiated conversation with Brad first - to say something to him was my connection to his hometown of Lansing, Kansas. Turns out, his neighbor at the house his family first moved to in town&nbsp;was my high school boyfriend's cousin&nbsp;who's house I'd been to once for the Fourth of July. I didn't know it then, but that moment was the moment that made my entire toxic&nbsp;high school relationship worth it. 





And even then, I didn't know I'd met my future husband on my first day at a new school,&nbsp;I just knew that I really hoped I would when I transferred to UCM.





Fast forward to September 15. Brad and I get paired together for a group project. He had just gotten the new iPhone 6 so that's what we talked about. I couldn't tell you who the other person was in our group or what our project was, but I still get butterflies thinking about sitting just inches away from Brad as we both texted our mutual friend Alissa Booker asking about each other. I'll give Brad credit for initiating that one... He took an awful Snapchat picture of me drinking out of my water bottle and sent it to Alissa to ask if I was one of her sorority sisters.





After that, it was butterflies all day, but I still couldn't&nbsp;get over Brad's crazy hair. I remember going back to the Alpha Phi wing in Panhellenic Hall for lunch and wanting to gush about the cute boy I had a connection with in class but I was also nervous about showing anyone his Instagram (ya'll know Brad posts some weird stuff to this day!). About to burst, I opened up to two older A Phis, Megan Mattox and Becca Wadle, and they were so happy for me and assured me that despite the hair and the Crocs, Brad was a pretty good looking guy.





When I finished my afternoon classes, I sprinted across campus to Fitzgerald Hall to talk to Alissa in person and to "accidentally" run into Brad since he was Alissa's C0-Community Adviser on the third floor. Brad was at football practice that afternoon so I didn't get to run into him, but Alissa invited me to have dinner downstairs with the Fitz CAs before chapter meeting that night because she knew Brad would be there.





Alissa and I talked all afternoon about Brad, and I found out that he was a kicker for the UCM football team and was active in his faith along with being one of the funniest guys ever. However, at dinner I didn't get to&nbsp;experience any of the great stuff about Brad even though, again, I was sitting right next to him. We were both so nervous and awkward that we didn't know what to say.





Frustrated, I decided I needed to make a move. After dinner, I wrote Brad a note that said, "I think you're pretty too" and signed it "Your Secret Admirer" with my number. Brad doesn't remember this part, but he made it a point to have Alissa tell me that he thought I was pretty and not cute because cute is for baby animals. When I left for chapter meeting, I trusted that Alissa would slide the note under Brad's door and the rest would be left up to fate.





The moment I got to my car to drive back to Lee's Summit&nbsp;after chapter, I received a text from an unknown 913 number, and I don't know if I've ever smiled so big (actually probably when Brad proposed... there's photo evidence of that!). The first thing we talked about was the mission trips we have been on, and ever since that moment, Brad and I haven't stopped being the biggest part of each other's day, no matter where we are.

How We Met

Things got a lot more comfortable and less awkward for Brad and I on Wednesday, September 17 when Alissa invited us to a party together. After a few drinks, we were playing beer pong and finally talking to each other, and soon enough we decided to leave the party and walk clear across campus back to Fitzgerald. 

If you know Brad, you know, and I mean this in the most loving way, how obnoxious he can be. As we walked that night, I remember him screaming as loud as he could, "I'M WITH THE PRETTIEST GIRL ON CAMPUS!" We stopped and took really bad selfies with statues, and when we sat down to take a break to the right of the Rec, we shared our very first kiss.



That night is definitely not the most shining night of our relationship, but it's a fond memory because it was the last first kiss we'll ever have, and back then we didn't know it.



Two days later, Friday night, Brad asked me out on our first date. He gave me a choice between Sedalia or Lee's Summit for dinner, and naturally I chose my hometown. We ate at Olive Garden, and then I needed to run by my house to get warmer clothes for the Heart Walk in Warrensburg the next morning (oh how I don't miss the commuting days). By deciding to do this, I put Brad in the situation to meet my family on the first date (oops!).



While I gathered my things in my room, Brad had the honor of chatting with Grandma Rosemary in the living room,&nbsp;and he&nbsp;attempted&nbsp;to make conversation with my brother Jeremy. I remember apologizing continuously as we left my house, and for the longest time after that Brad would constantly tell me how awkward Jeremy was. Well, if you know Brad and Jeremy now, I don't think they'd have to think twice to tell you that they are each other's&nbsp;very best friend.



Next on our date, Brad and I watched our first scary movie together, and I began my collection of movie tickets to&nbsp;every movie we've seen together. We saw Annabelle, and when we got back to Fitz, Brad was convinced Annabelle was real and terrorizing his floor because holes were drilled in the doors.



I still don't think I knew I was with my future husband that night, but I knew I was comfortable, safe, and having fun, and that's all I really needed.

First Kiss and First Date

Our go-to restaurant is the Houlihan's in Lee's Summit. We spend every anniversary and Valentine's Day there, and occasionally birthdays too. Our server's name is Joseph, and we always order chipotle chicken nachos as an appetizer.

This tradition started on October 17, 2014. Brad planned a surprise night for me, and wanted so badly to look cool navigating Lee's Summit on his own, but Houlihan's, although it's right next to Summit Crossing and Summit Fair, is a bit harder to find, especially for the first time. We got there, and I knew he had something special planned, but I'd never been asked to be someone's girlfriend on a real date&nbsp;so I wasn't sure what to expect.





He played it really cool the whole meal: our nachos followed by a southwest chicken wrap and french dip sandwich. And then, with his old&nbsp;wand in hand, he told me how much fun he'd been having with me and how much he liked me, and then he asked me to be his girlfriend. “Yes" to Brad is the easiest answer I'll ever give.





For Christmas in 2014, I got Brad Professor Snape's wand because the "wand" he had when he asked me to be his girlfriend was unfortunately lost at a party. Back then, none of my friends understood how I put up with him, but now, as my bridesmaids, they can't see me with anyone else.





Fast forward to Valentine's Day 2015. Brad and I are back at Houlihan's, and this time, he had a poem to read to me. I was waiting for&nbsp;this moment since January. I have it memorized and framed in my bedroom, and the last lines say this:





Jess, you are my boo





There's no doubt about it.





I am in love with you.





We are the perfect fit.

Love & Houlihan's

I've known I wanted to marry Brad since January 2015 when I heard him sing "Give Me Jesus" at his church. And at the end of our junior year in 2016, the desire only grew stronger as Brad and I watched every single one of our couple friends get engaged and married all while still being college students.

It was a trying time, especially for me, but we both knew the most important thing in our lives at the time was to finish college and enjoy those years without becoming tied down. And man, did Brad and I enjoy college... together, but not married.

Our love story isn't perfect, and on some days over the last three years, that has been painfully clear. However, I always tell Brad, that's what makes us great. We are two very broken people who were made to love each other, and since the day we met two things are true: we haven't stopped being sinners but we also haven't stopped loving each other through it. 

I wholeheartedly believe God made Brad and I in His perfect way so that we can glorify Him through our brokenness here on Earth. Getting to marry Brad is better than a fairytale. I never could've dreamed up a man so funny and compassionate and strong and brave and loving and so many other incredible things that I will get to experience and cherish forever as his wife.

I knew Brad would ask me to marry him the summer after we graduated college, and I even had an idea of when he'd pop the question&nbsp;in March 2017 when his mom invited me on the family graduation trip. But I had no idea that in my Chacos and oversized t-shirt at 9:00 am on a Sunday in front of Hogwarts Castle and tons of strangers that Brad would finally give me a wand in return and get down on one knee.

Those awkward, lost sophomores in college have come a long way, and very soon, we will forever be the #BustedCrustedBrowns. Are you #RootingfortheBrowns?

The Proposal

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Our Story

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Savannah has been my best friend since we cheered together in 6th grade at Steppin' Out. She's always my go-to, and even though we fight like sisters, we love each other hard like only real sisters can.

Savannah Carter

Brett Brown

Sam Sheaks

Marija and I have been friends since we were in band together in 8th grade. We joke that it only took 18 days for us to become best friends, and almost nine years later that's still true.

Marija Kotlaja

Our senior year of high school, Hallie and I bonded over how much we hated other people. Hallie is an excellent listener and the best party planner, and I am so lucky that after going to school together since 7th grade we finally became friends just in time to enjoy senior year and adulthood&nbsp;together.

Hallie Cooley

Clay Young

Maggie is my very best friend from college. From Alpha Phi to the English Department, Maggie always had my back and shares my love for writing and blogging, something I didn't have in a friend until I met her. 

Maggie McMichael

Nathan Juresic 

Erica is my first little in Alpha Phi, and I joke that a lot of times she's like my big too. The first time I talked to Erica was on preference day during recruitment, and it was probably the worst conversation I've ever had with someone. Despite that, our relationship has only grown stronger, and I don't know if I could've done college without her.

Erica Paige

Justin Root

Jeremy Root

Kelcie is the little and friend I never knew I needed. This girl loves Jesus like crazy and she's also one of the sassiest people I've ever met. She never tells me what I want to hear&nbsp;but instead what I need to hear. She speaks and lives the truth, and I'm so glad God gave me a friend like her.

Jessica & Bradley

Jessica & Bradley

Wedding Party