A Lovely Cause, a Beautiful Beginning

We usually encounter couples that are brought together by a common acquaintance, workplace, or even, common schools, so our featured couple today, who was brought together by a common cause, is a bit rare to our books and we’re very glad to chance upon them both. Nicole and Derek shares a common advocacy towards the misunderstood pit bulls. It was their love for this amazing breed that gave them the opportunity to meet and one day become husband and wife.

I believe reasons like this is one of the best foundations for love. But moving on to their beautiful DIY wedding, it was such a well planned and decorated event. And if you want to know more about it, our bride gave us the complete account on her wedding projects.

And speaking of, in behalf of all the future DIY brides, we thank you Nicole! And truly, it was a perfect day that was brought upon in the beginning by a beautiful cause. Congratulations Nicole & Derek!

Bride What is your story as a couple, how did you meet & fall in love? If I had to describe our love story in three words it would be “expected the unexpected. ” We ended up crossing paths in life by complete chance.

Our experiences in life are about as different as one might imagine and our values reflect our New England (Nicole) and Deep South (Derek) upbringings. I (Nicole) moved to Mississippi in 2007 for graduate school. Not long after, I ended up adopting Babygirl, a loving, loyal, goofy dog who happened to be born a pitbull.

Almost immediately, I become acutely aware of unique problems pitbulls face, including breed specific discrimination, heightened abuse/neglect, and low adoption rates. Because of my love for Babygirl, I decided that I must do something to help other pitbulls. I was a graduate student, so I couldn’t contribute much financially, but I could volunteer and foster through a local animal shelter.

At the same time, Derek was also developing a strong interest in advocating for pitbulls. He had been working for the police department as an animal control officer for a few years and the problems pitbulls faced in Mississippi was evident – the vast majority of the dogs that ended up in the shelter were pitbulls, and they rarely made it to adoption. It wasn’t surprising then that Derek began training and fostering pitbulls to prepare them for adoption.

It only took me one day at the animal shelter to meet Derek. I asked someone at the front desk about fostering a pitbull. They laughed and asked me if I was sure, assuring me that they were all viscous and not suitable for adoption.

I angrily nodded and they called into the back room for Derek. The next week when I showed up at the shelter, there Derek was with Ladybug – my first foster. That afternoon I left the shelter with the first of many pitbull fosters that have since graced and given further meaning and purpose to my life.

Every Sunday after that, Derek and I would spend afternoons at the shelter chatting about pitbulls. Fast forward a month or two; a close friend suggests that I consider a romantic relationship with Derek. After that conversation it was like a light bulb went off and all I could think about was Derek.

I ended up asking him out for drinks a few weeks later. We talked that night for hours. And the next morning.

And every day after that. Through our love for pitbulls (and the many other things we soon learned that we shared in common), we fell madly in love. I cannot imagine a more perfect partner to share my life with.

What makes the two of you a perfect match? More so than our love for pitbulls, I believe that our complementary personalities make us the perfect match. I am a Type A personality, whereas Derek is the epitome of a Type B personality.

I am convinced that because of this we have grown exponentially both as individuals and as a couple. Derek forces me to focus on non-work-related values, which has significantly improved my quality of life. On the other hand, I have motivated Derek to pursue goals that may have at one point felt outside his reach.

How did he (or you) propose? We moved to the Northeast when I finished my degree. It was summer and we lived only blocks from the ocean.

We got in a routine of grabbing a glass of wine and strolling along on the beach each evening to unwind from work. The night he proposed was pretty typical (which was exactly what I wanted). We grabbed dinner at an oceanfront restaurant and then went for a walk along the beach boardwalk.

There was an older gentleman playing music along the beach. We stopped when we reached him and Derek asked me to dance. Otis Redding “I’ve been loving you too long” was playing.

Next thing I know, Derek is holding an engagement ring and is asking me to marry him. It was very romantic! How long was the planning process?

Did you think it was enough time? We had a little over a year to plan our wedding. We quickly secured a venue, photographer, and furniture rental company.

Because everything else was DIY, we did not focus on wedding planning until a few months before the wedding, at which time I started developing excel sheets of everything we would need and started shopping. Once we had a final guest count (6 weeks before the wedding), I spent all of my free time planning, purchasing décor, and making DIY projects. I’m not sure anyone ever feels like they have enough time to plan their wedding, but I am very organized and work well under stress, so this approach worked well for us.

What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding? I actually received the best advice from my makeup artist the day of the wedding. She told me to make it a point to look in my husband’s eyes several times throughout the day so that I remember the small moments.

The day was such a whirlwind for us; I am glad that I will forever have these small moments. What tips & tricks (can we use “hacks”? ) can you share future brides that you yourself have learned during and after your wedding?

Early in the planning process, make a list of what is essential to make your wedding day memorable.