The origin story – one of the most interesting things to learn about a couple! Two people ‘cosmically’ come together and nothing is the same after that first moment. Interesting concept, isn’t it? Well, for some this may feel foreign. But, for us, it feels natural. You know that feeling when it seems like you’ve gotten a glimpse into God’s plan, where everything aligns, or a split second and it all makes sense? All the joy, heartache, hard work, troubles and satisfaction. That’s exactly what we felt the day we met in Colorado. And, we were beyond excited to welcome our beloved wedding guests into our relationship to celebrate the most profound step we could’ve taken before God and his kingdom – committing to one another through thick and thin. So, let’s dive into how it started! Luke and Veronica met in Woodland Park, Colorado after ‘meeting’ on Tinder. You heard right – Tinder (no shame). Veronica was a senior at FSU on a girls trip out West, finding herself in the middle of Colorado Springs with friends who had no interest in hiking or outdoor exploring. Meanwhile, Luke was a wrangler at Lost Valley Ranch, living life on horseback, wrangling cattle, going on trail rides, and developing a deep fondness for what our natural world has to offer. After a few persistent messages, Luke and a couple of his friends agreed to meet up with Veronica and her crew for a bonfire at Pikes Peak. Veronica expected Luke to show up with holes in his shirt, a few stray water bottles in the truck bed and a blanket or two at best. But Luke Burton LOVES to host. He arrived promptly on time with a wide variety of drinks, snacks, blankets, jackets, baby wipes, and the list goes on. Instant curiosity formed between the two, each wondering if one liked the other throughout the evening. It was that first time fluttering kind of feeling, the kind you simply can’t forget. The night was filled with laughter and flowing conversation, and after a dance beneath the stars to an old country song, they were hooked. Fast forward a few years, that flutter still lives beneath folds of comfort, trust and sincere love for one another, built up through long distance dating, experiencing hardships together and seeing glimpses of God’s word unveil themselves bit by bit.
The Proposal
Luke knows that Veronica loves surprises. So naturally, he went all out. For months he had been planning behind the scenes, coordinating with all of her best friends and closest family members to make sure they would be available on the perfect date in fall of 2020. And he was simultaneously planning a ‘client work event’ in Piedmont Park that he asked for Veronica’s help with since that was her favorite place in the city to go on runs. On November 7, they hopped in an Uber and headed to the park for Luke’s client event – but little did Veronica know, it was all a facade for their engagement. The event was positioned as a ‘scavenger hunt’ around the park that would end in a small mingling gathering at a local brewery nearby. After walking around for a while finding clues, Veronica started complaining about her feet hurting in her shoes – she didn’t know how far they would be walking and she certainly did not choose the best shoe option for the event. Luke. begged her to just hit one more spot on the scavenger list, and she unassumingly agreed. Right as they were about to descend the steps onto the lookout point by the park’s lake, a huge family swooped in front of them and started posing for family photos (their photographer in tow). Veronica laughed it off and said they could just wait a second to finish their final clue but Luke was looking crazed – little did she know that it was because she had almost seen the photographers that were slowly creeping behind them to get the perfect shot of the moment he asked. Luke and Veronica walked a bit off to the side and sat on a park bench, and Veronica took notice of the couple that was sitting on a bench in front of them commenting that they were cute together (it was later discovered that these were the engagement photographers). Once the family cleared, they went down to the lookout point, and Luke pulled out the scavenger list that he switched out with one that read a special question on it, asking Veronica to read it. Veronica started reading down the list of all the scavenger list items that they have founds and landed on a list item that read Vero, I have a question to ask you. After letting out an audible gasp, Luke got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! And after ugly sobbing for a good minute or two, Veronica happily agreed. The remainder of the night was spent celebrating with their closest family and friends in the amazing union that was to come in October 2021.
