Chelsea and Chase said "I Do" Saturday, July 13th
Photo credit: Justen Clay Photography
The newlyweds met at Highlands College, a ministry school in Birmingham, where they both went to, "get our lives back on track and find ourselves in God again," says Chelsea. Their stories are so similar, it's clear that it was meant to be - both deciding to go at the last minute within a few weeks of the program starting, and both deciding to give up on relationships for a while.
"I had heard the other girls talk about him, and even though I’m sure I had passed him in the hallway, I had never really noticed him. I just knew there was some handsome man with beautiful eyes my friend has named Chase Gorgeous." The name stuck, especially after the first time Chelsea really saw him.
"He was sitting at a tent that was giving out hot dogs talking to some other guys, and I remember thinking 'Oh goodness, he‘s handsome.' Being the smart, clever girl I am I went right up to the hot dog tent and asked for a group picture (as part of the Media Track). I got one shot and then jumped in (coincidentally landing right next to Chase), grabbed a hot dog, and turned it into a mustache. He copied me, and it was history after that."
How did he pop the question? "I want to start by saying I called it. I knew it was coming." Chase's family plans a family trip each year - this time it was Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving. "The week before we left for vacation, I called my best friend, Taylor, and told her I had a feeling like I was coming home with a ring on my finger, even though I had seen no signs of a ring or anything close to proposal material."
Her soon-to-be fiancé and his parents insisted Chelsea invite her mom and sister to come visit for Thanksgiving, which surprised her as she hadn't known Chase's family for longer than a few months. The morning they arrived, Chase started acting abnormally antsy. He was up to something. "He dropped me off with my mom and sister for lunch, which was strange because I thought we were all going together, but he insisted that he HAD to run some errands - who 'runs errands' when they’re on vacation?"
After not hearing from him all afternoon, she got a text saying he needed to meet her in an hour or two. "That was it. I knew it." When it was time, she went to meet his mom who had tickets for all 13 of them to ride the Space Needle, a 360 degree view of the mountains (minus one, as Chase was waiting at the top).
"When I stepped out of the elevator door and saw him, everything in my heart and soul came to a complete state of peace. I remember waiting to hear him finally tell me he loves me, but he was too nervous to even squeeze that out. His tears really said everything I needed to know, he got down on one knee still all teary eyed with that little black velvet box. I was a little impatient, so before he even finished asking I pulled him up, wiped his tears, and kissed his face telling him of course I’ll marry you."
The "I Do"
"I have always envisioned a comfortable, classic, homemade wedding. I love plantation homes, antebellum homes, or anything that has character of it’s own from being loved and lived in. The Wheeler House really provided the perfect structure to fulfill what I was looking for. I knew for sure two things: I wanted a lot of dainty lighting, and I wanted it to feel comfortably intimate. I got both of those things in The Wheeler House."
The
newlyweds actually booked The Wheeler House before touring. Chelsea sent her
mom to scope it out, and when she gave her the thumbs up she had her mom
reserve the venue. “I did it without visiting mainly because of how kind and
accommodating [the staff] was, and I knew I was going to be needing a tremendous
amount of help being out of state.” When she finally did come tour herself,
Chelsea almost cried. “It is the most beautiful, rustic, and comforting venue I
have ever seen.”
“The
Wheeler House has a type of southern charm to it that you don’t get with a lot
of wedding venues. There are so many details you don’t notice in photographs,
but when you see them in person you fall in love.”
Their
theme was rustic chic, timeless and elegant. They used mason jars, lace, tea
candles, roses and soft colors – ballet slipper pink and dusty mint – atop a
wood slab that held a handmade ivory letter G.
Chelsea’s
tip: “I had a blast hand crafting each item, but I would warn anyone
reading: If you decide to create all of your decorations, START EARLY. If you
like crafting, it is so cool to see all of your hard work put together and
displayed.”
"The most important component of our wedding was our families. We wanted everyone to see how far we’ve come since we had met, and the progress God had led us through to get us ready for meeting each other. Chase has changed my life multiple times and continues to change me, challenge me and help me grow daily. It was really important for us that everyone saw how much God has moved in our lives making us a natural team."
