NATASHA + CORY

“She was the most genuine person I had ever met. She was not afraid to say what was on her mind. She also displayed a genuine interest in me, my story, my interests, my goals, and my whole self.”

“He was so easy to talk to. He made me laugh from day one and continues to do so every day.”

Cory happened to be in the St Louis area for work. It started with “Hello” and small talk. Natasha told him she wasn’t interested and he was wasting his time.  “He was just passing through and I didn’t have time for that in my life.” Her sassiness didn’t phase him. He came back at her with confidence and easily the cheesiest pickup line she’d ever heard. It made her laugh. After talking with him, she finally agreed to exchange numbers with him, but when he gave her his, he put the wrong number in her phone! She went out on a limb and took the chance and text him first, only to discover she was texting someone else. (He says it was an accident, but Natasha is still not sure she believes him). Luckily Cory texted Natasha.
Cory kept asking Natasha to have dinner with him, and she turned him down every time. “I made this poor man jump through hoops. I had every excuse for why I couldn’t go. I was a single mom and wasn’t going to get a babysitter for a date, especially for someone who I thought I wasn’t going to see ever again.” He didn’t let that phase him and came back at me with an itinerary for a day date. Everything was thoroughly planned out to the minute and the last line said “and I will have you back to your car in time to pick up your kids from school.”
She couldn’t say no to that.
After the two agreed upon a date, he text her again and asked her to meet him for breakfast the following day (the day before the already planned date). She agreed. The two met at Sgt Pepper’s Cafe in Edwardsville. “The conversation was just so effortless. We sat there talking all the way through lunch too. It was like talking to someone I had known my entire life, yet I wanted to know more. We still go back there every now and then for brunch.”
(He still got his date the following day.)

The two dated 4.5 years.

Cory spent months attempting to plan the perfect proposal.  After a lot of consideration, it became evident that the perfect proposal involved the two of them and their children. “I brought the kids into the planning early and together we planned what would hopefully be the beginning of the rest of our life as a family. I knew that in order for this to be the perfect chapter in our love story I needed her parent’s blessing. While I knew that Brian and Susie were expecting me to ask (apparently it was no secret that Natasha and I were madly in love with each) I was extremely nervous and somehow found the courage to ask their blessing days before our vacation and what would soon be one of the happiest days of my life. Also not to my surprise, Brian and Susie were elated to welcome Lauren, Lane, and me to their family and gave their blessing without a second thought.”

Natasha – “We were on our family vacation at Myrtle Beach, SC. Cory had told us to pack a dressy outfit for one night because he found this restaurant he wanted to go to which had a dress code. So we were all dressed up fairly early in the evening and he looks in the fridge and says we are out of milk. He then sends all 4 kids on the golf cart to go get milk from the store up the road. (I thought that was really weird but we had time to kill so maybe he just wanted them to go do something. I still didn’t understand why all 4 had to go but whatever.) The kids are gone a really long time but I’m enjoying the few minutes of quiet. Cory then gets a phone call and goes outside to take it. (Again weird but I didn’t suspect anything). He comes back in a few minutes later and asks me if I am ready to go. The kids aren’t back yet. When I step outside he says “Let’s take a walk on the beach.” Now I am starting to think something is up. When we start walking down the beach, I can see all 4 kids standing there. They had made a heart in the sand with rose garland and had written all 6 of our names in the sand. When we got to the heart, Cory got down on one knee and proposed to me. It was the most genuine, heartfelt proposal I had ever heard. He had the ring in a box with a red rose to match the garland heart. (The happy tears ruined all my makeup!!!!!) Once I said yes, we heard lots of cheering and clapping around us. There was a party at the house on the beach behind us. They cheered us on! (When I looked back at the pictures the kids took, you can see them trying to hide behind the railing so they wouldn’t be in the photos!.) He then spoiled all 6 of us with a fantastic seafood dinner at Hook & Barrel in Myrtle Beach.”

For their wedding day, they wanted elegance and romance, flowers and candles, while still being “them” and not stuffy. “We wanted the day to reflect our love for each other along with the blending of our families.”

Enjoy a peek at Natasha & Cory’s wedding day!

“My shoes were red (with some bling because I am extra like that). They were my own version of “Ruby Red Slippers”. Cory and I have spent all of our relationship with Cory living in Kansas (minus the time in Korea) while I was here in Illinois. I’ve always said that I wished I had ruby red slippers and could be like Dorothy and click my heels together 3 times to get back to him in Kansas. (We even had a date where we went to the Oz Winery, The Wizard of Oz Museum, and walked on the Yellow Brick Road) ““Cory’s wedding day gift to me was the gorgeous earrings that I wore. He later told me that I had pointed them out in the store once and said that I loved them (I honestly don’t remember that) But they complimented my dress perfectly!” “Natasha’s gave me two very important pieces of attire for our special day as a wedding gift. The first was a pendant with my mom’s picture. One of the many things that Natasha I bonded over immediately was the experience and heartache of losing a parent. After discovering that we had each lost a parent (her dad and my mom) we also discovered that it happened the same summer (my mom in May and her dad in August). This horrific experience for both of us brought us closer together immediately because we related to one another as no one ever could. She knows how important my mom is to me and wouldn’t let our wedding day take place without our parents being present. She had pendants with her dad’s and my mom’s pictures made for each of us and her instructions to me that day were to wear the pendant inside of my tux coat, on the left side so she would be closest to my heart. These little details are amongst the many reasons I love this woman so dearly.
Her second gift to me was a set of cuff links and a tie clip engraved with important dates to our relationship. Our first kiss, the first time she said I love you, and our wedding date. These cuff links reminded me of the journey we had been on that led us to this day.”Seeing each other for the first time was a moment that will last with both Cory and Natasha forever. “I cannot describe the feeling that came over me. The pure joy and happiness, love and contentment that I felt. I honestly thought I would be a crying mess all day, (and I definitely teared up a lot) but I was unable to contain my happiness. The butterflies in my stomach were turned up to 10. I felt like my smile might split my face if it were any bigger. He looked so handsome! And to see the happiness on his face and in his eyes. It was the same look he gave me when I started walking down the aisle too.”
“The first time I saw my bride on our wedding day was absolutely indescribable. I have seen her so many times in the last 4.5 years and in so many different attires but this moment was breathtaking for me. I anticipated the feelings and emotions I would experience but I never could have imagined just how it made me feel. She was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen and I was overjoyed to know that she was about to be my wife. I will carry this memory with me for the rest of my life.”Cory’s favorite thing about Natasha – “Her unconditional love and dedication to those that are lucky enough to receive it. She places everyone’s needs above her own and stops at nothing to make sure that we are all loved and cared for. Her love is unwavering and truly breathtaking. She keeps me honest and grounded in reality, a task that is far from easy but she makes it seem so effortless.”Natasha’s favorite thing about Cory – “He seriously has the biggest heart. He always wants to make sure that the kids and I have everything we could ever want or need. He puts everyone else before himself, family and friends included. He found ways to make sure I always felt loved when we couldn’t be together due to distance (States and/or countries apart) He is my biggest supporter; always believing in me even when I don’t believe in myself. I love the fact that we don’t take everything so seriously. We are constantly laughing and joking and teasing each other. We can be completely ourselves without any fear. He is the calm to the storm, the strong and steady to my wild and crazy. We complement each other perfectly.” The two wanted the day to be about celebrating our love for each other, but it was also a day for the blending of their families.” This was also why we didn’t have a traditional wedding party. We only wanted our kids to stand up with us.”Natasha walked down the aisle to The Forever Now – Mandy Moore
When we first started talking/dating and getting to know each other, we realized that we both watched the show This is Us. When Cory was in Korea, we would set up a time to have Facetime dates and watch together every week. It was one of the ways we stayed connected. This continued even after he came back home and was living in Kansas. We would either have Facetime dates to watch together or would have to wait until the next time we were physically together to watch the latest episode. This song was played during the wedding in the final episode and tied everything together. We both loved it then and listened to it often after the show was over. When he proposed, I knew I wanted this song as part of our wedding somehow. The lyrics were perfect. “I get this moment with you forever now. It all hits me at once, forever now. If there’s a right way to say it, I’m still learning how. Maybe all that we have is a forever now”The moment Cory looked the most forward to was the moment they said their vows. “I have always not been shy with expressing my love for her in front of any and everyone but I wanted so badly to express my devotion to her in front of our friends and family for all to hear, to see, and to feel my emotions. It exceeded my expectations and I will forever remember the way it felt in the moment.”The moment Natasha looked the most forward to was the moment he said you may kiss the bride. “I had waited for that moment for so long. It meant that we were finally married. That all the stress, effort, planning, waiting, and longing were worth it and finally over. We were married!! It absolutely did. Again, I can’t describe the feelings. But when I think of that moment, I feel them again.”“With so many family and friends from out of state, we needed a venue close to hotels. Old Stone Chapel and Le Bellle Coeur fit our needs. It had the modern look we were going for with the convenience of everything being close together.”Natasha & Cory’s first dance song: From This Moment – Shania Twain and Brian WhiteNatasha loved watching her grandparents dance together. “They are seriously the best! To see them love each other and still have fun together after all these years (and see my Grandma stick her tongue out at my Grandpa lol). 93 and 94 years old and 65 years of marriage. Relationship goals!!)”

At the end of the day the two felt:
“So incredibly happy. I am finally married to my best friend. (and relieved because it all went relatively smoothly). Overwhelmed with happiness. For 4.5 years without question, I knew that this day would eventually come; it was finally here and I was married to my best friend.”

Natasha & Cory’s advice to brides and grooms: Remember the day is about YOU and YOUR love story. Don’t try to please everyone else, because you can’t. You will only make yourself crazy. Make your own traditions.
Have the cocktail hour. You need a few minutes alone with your new spouse to breathe. It also gave us the opportunity to walk around and mingle and say hi to everyone before the dancing and drinking took over. Worth it! 

Professionals Natasha and Cory hired to makes the dat great:
Coco Bongo Salon – Ashlee did hair and makeup for everyone. She made us all look so beautiful!!!!
Main Street Florist – https://www.main-street-florist.com/ They made bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. So easy to work with and beautiful as always!!
Celebrating Life Cake Boutique – https://www.celebratinglifecakes.com So delicious! We had allergies and dietary needs to work with and they exceeded our expectations. Everyone seemed to love the cupcakes. They took our vision for our cake and made it a reality.
Ultimate Beats Entertainment – https://www.ultimatebeatsentertainment.com/ Martin was seriously the BEST wedding DJ EVER! He read the crowd and kept the dance floor packed all night. He was mixing music and keeping up with requests. So very easy to work with. I can’t say enough. He also had the photobooth which was great and very utilized by our guests!
Bree Visuals – https://www.breevisuals.com I’m not sure how someone wearing that Iron man suit can make you feel at ease, but Brandon did!
TenSixteen Photography – The best photographers around. It was like working with old friends. Karin went above and beyond photographer duties and helped me out several times. (<3 xoxo for this Cory & Natasha)

Their honeymoon: We didn’t take a traditional honeymoon yet. We took our kids and went camping in Pigeon Forge Tennessee for a week. The actual honeymoon will be in January and involve a tropical beach!

Where do the two call home? Carlinville currently. Wherever the ARMY decides to send us in the near future.

The two look forward to a life together, under one roof. “We have spent our entire relationship (up to this point) living in separate states. We still have some time ahead of us that we will be apart, but not much longer. “

We are cheering you on SO BIG Natasha and Cory!!!  We ADORE you both and loved every conversation, laugh, and tearing up with you two! We love your love, and we sure hope to get together with you both more in the future!! Cheers to your forever!