Wedding Stories: Claudia & Arnd

This sweet couple from Germany decided to come to Nashville and have the most beautiful destination vow renewal! Their love of country music brought them here, but their love for each other was the real star that day. Here is Claudia and Arnd's story!

Their Story

Arnd and Claudia met during college in their twenties. Claudia felt that he was in love, but she was in a relationship and he never declared his love for her. So they stayed friends, met once a year on the occasion of the yearly town festival in their hometown in Germany. They both married and had children: Arnd has 2 sons (Vincent and Felix) and Claudia has one (Max). At this time, they could not see each other anymore as Arnd moved a lot, for example to Nashville.

Then, they met again, after 20 years, one morning on an airplane to Paris. "It was flashing!" They began to see each other again. Claudia and Arnd found that they were what they each were somehow missing over all of those years. In September 2011 they moved together in their first little flat and finally got married in December 2014.

They decided to celebrate their love and renew their vows in style with a destination vow renewal in Nashville in May 2016. 

The Big Day

The day of Claudia and Arnd's vow renewal was a beautiful May morning in Nashville. The bride and groom, and all of their guests, had flown in from Germany the day before. The ceremony was held at Riverwood Mansion, and it was looking dreamy and idyllic, as usual. As the guests arrived, we played soft country tunes. 

Claudia walked down the aisle to "You're Still The One" by Shania Twain. Country music from the 90's was the theme of the day, as both Claudia and Arnd love that era of music. The bride looked stunning, and the groom looked starry-eyed, as he should.

The happy couple, officially renewed, walked into this second phase of their happy marriage to the chorus of "It's A Beautiful Day" by Michael Bublé. From there, we launched into a two hour cocktail hour, playing a mix of jazz and country tunes, including Faith Hill's "This Kiss" and Martina McBride's "Valentine". 

When the time came for Claudia and Arnd's "wedding waltz", they requested "She's Always A Woman" by Billy Joel. This just so happened to be the song they danced to at their first wedding, so it was a very special moment to witness. The love these two have for each other is truly beautiful. 

Congratulations Claudia and Arnd! I hope you two have a long and happy life together and go on all sorts of European adventures :) 

With love,

Whitney 

Engagement Stories: Callie & Tyler

This month's Engagement Story is a couple whose love for each other, and their love for the Lord, is truly beautiful. A shared passion for mission work brought them together, and the love that grew between them is what carries them forward. Everyone: meet Callie and Tyler! 

How did you first meet?

Tyler and I met in the Dominican Republic in March 2015. We were both working on staff with a missionary organization called DR Missions. Tyler had just arrived on a five month trip. I had worked with them in the past, and so when they needed some help over spring break, I planned a last minute trip. Our trips overlapped by just two weeks! We had an amazing two weeks serving the Lord together. We quickly became great friends. Within 5 days, Tyler was certain that we were going to get married, but we didn't even go on a date until August.  

Our first date was the night Tyler flew back to the United States. He changed his flights to fly into Atlanta , and I picked him up at the airport. We drove two hours to Auburn, Alabama and got dinner at Momma Goldberg's Deli. It wasn't fancy or well planned by any means, but after five months of talking on the phone every night, we were so excited to see each other in person! 

When did you know they were the one? 

If you haven't realized yet, our story is anything but typical. I knew Tyler was the one about 6 weeks after we met, which was still months before our first date. We spent those in-between months growing in our relationship. We intentionally poured into it by reading the Bible and doing devotions together. I had seen his heart and the way he loves the Lord. I knew he was a true servant by the way he loves the children in our feeding program and orphanage. I also knew he was a hard, dedicated worker and pretty handy at fixing things around the house! We discussed marriage around this time and it was clear that we felt the same way! 

Tyler's story is a little different. Tyler first knew he wanted to marry me only 5 days after we met. We had sent the day working and serving together, and we had to run down the street to a little convenience store. While we were there, I was laughing at something and Tyler thought to himself, "Wow, she has such a beautiful and joyful laugh." At this moment, the Lord spoke to him and said, "This is how it's going to be for the rest of your life." From that moment on, Tyler knew that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. 

How did he propose? 

In December 2015, I was visiting Tyler's family for Christmas. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and we attended an evening church service. We had dinner reservations 45 minutes after church ended, so we decided to go take a picture in front of this huge Christmas tree in the middle of downtown. I had been eyeing the tree all week and asking to go take a picture! When we got there, it was -16 degrees and snowing. There was nobody in sight! We stopped in front of the tree and Tyler pulled out his phone. I assumed we were still just taking a picture, but Tyler asked me to watch a video on his phone instead. It was a video of my 5 year old godson in the Dominican Republic saying, "Hey Callie, Tyler loves you a lot and he wants to marry you." When the video finished, I looked up and Tyler was down on one knee in the snow. He had a whole speech prepared, but he only got out a couple of lines before he asked me to marry him. I answered, "Yes, of course!" I was so excited that I put the ring on myself! 

What do you enjoy doing together?

Tyler and I truly enjoy doing everything together. We love serving and doing ministry together. When we're in the Dominican, we enjoy serving with the children at our feeding program, walking around neighborhoods and visiting with people, and exploring new parts of the county. In the United States, we spend a lot of time at church, hiking, hammocking, and walking our puppy! 

What is your favorite thing about him? 

How could I possibly choose? My favorite thing about Tyler is how much he loves Jesus. He is a wonderful man after God's heart and I know he will be a great spiritual leader for our family. He's always encouraging me to grow in my own faith. 

If you have an Engagement Story you would like for me to tell, please let me know in the comments below! 

With love,

Whitney