SHELBY + JOSH

The first time Shelby & Josh met was when Shelby had a shift working at the local bar in town.  It was just shortly after Shelby had her son Parker, and Josh was there drinking with some friends and watching sports all day when she walked in for the dinner shift. Shelby recalls how Josh had to call for a ride home and have someone finish filling out his tab, but she also recalls how he told them to make sure they left her a nice tip.  The very next weekend Shelby ran into Josh and some old friends, and he was re-introduced to Shelby as the “newly single friend.”  “Isn’t he cute?” her friend asked her. The first thing she noticed about him was how beautiful of a smile he had and his beautiful blue eyes. Josh loved her eyes and her confidence!  (“Those are still his two favorite things about me and vice versa about him!”) He asked her for her number that night – something Shelby is forever grateful for.

When they met it was an awkward time for the two to be dating. Josh works at UPS, and this was during peak season, Christmas time.  Shelby on the other hand had a newborn baby. They really only saw each other between his shifts at work and Parker’s sleep schedule but somehow, they made it work. Most of their dates consisted of driving around with Parker in the car or hanging out at home because Parker was asleep, and Josh was just getting off work.  But slow and steady they continued to find ways to make room for one another in their lives and to create a relationship that would cultivate over 9 years.

When it came time to move to the next step, in real-life form things did not go exactly as planned!
“It all started Christmas Eve night when Parker got home from his dad’s house.  We were finally winding down to go to bed, and I got in the shower.  Parker had been in bed for about an hour or two when Josh comes rushing into the bathroom to tell me that Parker is puking. In good ole mom fashion, I get out of the shower and clean up anything that needs to be cleaned up, check on him, and just assess what we need in the house. Well, we didn’t have much for a stomach bug so I told Josh we would wait to see if he gets sick again to see if I need to run out and get anything. He was up all night and I did a 2 am gas station run on Christmas morning. He could not keep anything down. If he drank or ate anything it all came right back up. As this is not getting any better as the night goes on Josh is just so frustrated. I, at the time, had no idea why. Finally, at about 5/6 AM, we opened gifts. We open gifts one person at a time, Josh went, then Parker, and then it was moms turn. Josh got me the Cricut that I had been asking for and a box of supplies and tools. I was sooo excited. As I am opening my last gift, Parker is apparently behind me chugging a Gatorade. Mind you we have no idea this is going on. I am focused on opening my gift and Josh is focused on getting on one knee to propose. So, as I am opening the box, which he custom-made, Paker yells “Mom! Puke bucket!”
I am trying to process the ring and custom box of pictures in front of me, Josh down on one knee, and Parker literally puking up all of the Gatorade he just drank.
Due to this being when covid was still pretty active, because Parker was sick, all of our Christmas plans got canceled. Josh had this whole plan to go to our parents’ house and not tell anyone and see if they noticed the ring on my finger. That is why he was frustrated; his hard work did not go as planned. He did not tell anyone that he was doing this, and everyone was so shocked.
Overall, it was perfect and just a true real-life story lol. The box he made was the most perfect thing. When I opened the lid of the box all of the sides of the box fell open – filled with pictures of us over the past 9 years, with a ring right in the middle.”

They wanted a very simple, modern wedding but with a little elegance where they could just enjoy the day with their friends and family. The goal was to not stress over anything. And everything did work out just as they had hoped! Their day had the most beautiful weather coupled with a stress-free day! We are so excited to share a look at Shelby and Josh’s wedding day!

I absolutely love how all the moms helped Shelby get ready.Shelby and Josh had a beautiful first look, followed by a sweet first look of Shelby with her son Parker.St. Gertrude’s Church was Josh’s family church he went to when growing up.  “We really wanted something in town, so we did not have to worry about people driving a long way home or finding a place to stay.”The moment that will forever live with Shelby and Josh is the moment Parker came out of the church and was in tears because he was so happy that they were married. “He just hugged us both so hard when he came out and both of us just lost it.” 
“Our first dance song was “Dressed up in White” by Cal We picked this song due to the guy who wrote and sang this song was the lead singer of one our favorite bands. We actually recently saw them play and were front row. I don’t know who was fan Girling harder over the concert.” 

I absolutely love some words of advice the bride and groom shared:
“If you are doing a lot of projects – make sure you plan them out well in advance and give yourself more time than you think it will take to complete. We set weekly to-do’s and made sure to carry over anything that did not get done and prioritize things that we knew needed to be done sooner than others.
Take help from everyone asking. It takes a load off and you are not being a burden to anyone. My MOHs were great with helping me make decisions based on the millions of pictures I sent them and ideas.
Have other people proofread everything and most of all double check anything and everything with the post office before you print hundreds of copies and it’s wrong and you have to have everything reprinted and mailed… that may or may not have happened to our save the dates. ”

The couple is planning a honeymoon in Cancun Mexico coming up this July!

Shelby and Josh, we absolutely loved getting to know you both. We really cannot say enough great things. Meeting Shelby felt like someone I’d known forever. She’s just so easy to fall in sync with. And Josh, you made us feel so comfortable and appreciated. You were hands down one of the nicest grooms we’ve ever had the privilege to work with. You two just really made our day so rewarding and enjoyable. We will forever be cheering you on, and basically top-tier members of the Shelby and Josh fan club. <3
xo