Margaret + Beau

And...I'm back with a love story! I'm SO HAPPY that this is my first story back because it's a great friend celebrating a sweet engagement. Margaret and I grew up together in a small town and went to rival high schools. Then, she headed south to the University of Alabama. This die hard Alabama fan never imagined she'd be marrying a UT Vol! Their long distance love story is one that will send you chills and leave you believing in the power of love! I'm so excited for Margaret and Beau, and I think you'll love their story as much as I do! :) 

Beau was raised in Franklin, TN and graduated from Fred J. Page High School. I was raised in Chapel Hill, TN and graduated from Forrest High School. What’s funny about this is that we grew up 15 minutes from each other, but we didn’t meet until we were both in college – about 6 hours apart! I attended The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Beau attended The University of Tennessee – Knoxville. We were both home on Christmas break when a few of our mutual friends decided we should meet each other. We went on a “group date” with some of our friends, and after the date, one of our mutual friends gave Beau my phone number. I remembered getting a text message from him a few days later that read “Hey, this is Beau.” I responded with “Beau who?” I know…not my best moment! The next text read “Anna’s friend Beau.” Then I made the connection! Ha! We instantly hit it off and for the next two years, Beau and I talked on the phone almost every day. We rarely hung out because we lived so far apart and we were never at home at the same time. However, in that time we formed a special bond and friendship.

After we both graduated from college, we knew that it was our chance. If we were ever going to date each other, now was the time! So, we started dating in May of 2013. Beau lived in Nashville at the time and I lived in Birmingham, so we were doing the long-distance thing for over a year. In July of 2014, Beau moved to Birmingham and after almost 4 years of being apart, we were finally in the same city!

After dating for over two years, we both knew we wanted to get married. I knew Beau was the perfect man for me. He is sweet, compassionate, fun, friendly and most importantly, he truly cares about me and loves me. He puts my feelings first and that is something that makes me feel so special.

We got engaged on June 8, 2015, in Birmingham, Alabama. It was your normal Monday night. I had worked all day and had on shorts, a tank top and a 3-day-old ponytail (ladies, you know what I’m talking about) and Beau and I had just finished dinner at Sumo. Nothing out of the ordinary for us! On our drive home, Beau said “Why don’t we go check out that park?” A new park and walking trail had opened about a mile from our house on the Cahaba River. We had been wanting to go there and take our dog/fur child Dave Woodis to check out the trails. So, we drove to the park and started walking the trail. A few minutes later, we came upon these gorgeous stone steps that led down to the river. Beau walked me down the steps and then asked me to sit on a large rock at the bottom. I was still clueless until this point. I knew when he asked me to randomly sit down what would happen next!

Beau is a very laid-back, sweet guy, and I can assure you that our engagement was 100% Beau style: very laid back and sweet! There were no cameras, no candles, no Pinterest-inspired decorations. It was just Beau, me, a beautiful Alabama sunset, and lots of love. It was absolutely perfect!

Our wedding will take place on April 30, 2016, almost 3 years after we started dating and after more than 5 years of friendship. I can’t wait for our big day because I truly feel that I am getting to marry my best friend!