Meeting and First Date

Meagan and Nate met on Bumble, a dating app, and quickly hit it off. Their obvious conversational chemistry encouraged them to set up a first date and see if the same sparks flew in person. On March 30 2018, Meagan faced her apprehensions regarding parallel parking and the two met at Mission Taco Joint in Soulard for delicious tacos, unique cocktails, and good conversation that would immediately confirm what they were both hoping: they shared so many important things in common, and they were intrigued and constructively challenged by their differences. The sparks they were looking for never made it to that dinner...they were replaced by raucous fireworks. Even when Nate spent a large portion of the evening unable to drink through a straw with a hole in it (one of the more extravagant cocktails was a flaming drink that had damaged the straw), the two agreed to see each other again and their story together truly began.

The Relationship

As the two spent more time together, Nate and Meagan introduced each other to very new worlds. Meagan prodded Nate into overcoming his crippling fear of hospitals to deliver her a pizza at work. She showed him that there was more across the bridge in St. Charles than wrestling tournaments and introduced him to her tight-knit group of friends, many of whom she had known since elementary school, and finally convinced him to take time enough away from work to invest in traveling for pleasure. During their relationship, the two have been on many memorable trips including Indianapolis, Memphis, Gulf Shores, Philadelphia, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Colorado, and Rosemary Beach.

Conversely, Nate welcomed Meagan (maybe a little bit reluctantly at the start) into the world of sports. Meagan became an avid Chaminade Rugby and Football fan (wrestling tournaments are still a negotiating point), showing up to many games, cheering loudly, and working hard to learn the terminology. Nate shared his love of local restaurants, re-discovering many of his favorites vicariously through Meagan. The two developed a mutual love for Vietnamese food, Mexican cocktails, and liquid nitrogen frozen ice cream. When they weren't exploring the city's newest dining establishments or taking a trip, they were often harassing their friends to take part in one of their epic game nights which included rowdy laughter, lots of yelling, and hilarious memories with friends the two would never forget.

Eventually, the two decided that spending so much time together made living separately a financially wasteful decision and they moved in together in a cozy apartment in Dogtown. Although they would only be there a year, this year together was certainly one for the record books as the two would enjoy the St. Louis Blues' first playoff run, the beginning of both of their Masters programs, and numerous late night karaoke sessions at Tom's Bar and Grill and Nick's Pub.

The Proposal

Once things had gotten serious between Meagan and Nate, there was always the question of what the proposal would look like. Meagan wanted a proposal surrounded by family to share in their moment, while Nate valued the authenticity of an organic, spontaneous proposal. It seemed like somebody was not going to get what they wanted. That was, until February 28, 2020 when, without planning, Nate and Meagan along with both of Nate's parents and Meagan's mom, enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Ernesto's Wine Bar in Benton Park. On the walk back to Nate's parents' house, it occurred to him that on such a perfect evening, they were going to the very place where Nate had the engagement ring stashed, and he decided at that moment that no time would be as perfect as right now. Upon their return to Nate's parents' house, Nate got down on one knee and asked Meagan to marry him, and the two officially began their engagement with only the small wrinkle of a nervous Nate almost slipping the ring on the wrong finger and a shocked Meagan accidentally stepping on the cat.

As the two prepared for marriage, an opportunity arose to get a jump start on their future, and Meagan and Nate purchased their dream home, a freshly rehabbed home in Benton Park West, not far from the site of their engagement and also close to many of their favorite restaurants.

Although Meagan and Nate have already been through so much, and those who know them have commented that it feels like they've been together forever, the two take time to remind each other that this still only the beginning of their love story, and now, as their wedding approaches, they get the chance to share it with you, their friends and family...and they couldn't be more excited!

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