Love is in the air! For this Spring Wedding Guide, we asked local couples to submit their love stories to us so that we could go beyond actual wedding day excitement to experience what drew them together in the first place. What we received was a heartwarming collection of love letters and photos from countless local folks,
including a few from our own staff.
In addition to the “How We Met” feature, the Guide also delves into local options for desserts that go “Beyond the Cake,” so you can get creative with your sweets selection. We hope it helps you think outside of the (cake) box.
Meghan & Connor Carson
Married for almost five years
We met….in elementary school
Meghan: (preschool teacher for Perrysburg Schools)
“My husband and I met when I was in the fourth grade (he was in sixth grade). We lived down the street from one another and formally met at YMCA Day Camp. Connor and I didn’t actually date until high school— he took his good ol’ time. We dated off and on and took a few years apart (with the age difference, we weren’t always on the same page). Luckily, after a few years, we realized that we just couldn’t move on. Connor went off to basic training and committed himself to six years in the military. I stayed local and finished college. He was deployed in Turkey during our entire engagement. Now we have three beautiful children: Thomas, Millie, and Bauer. We actually now live in the neighborhood where we met!
Keyawna & Marvin Brock Sr.
WeMet…when we were kids
Married for 13 years
Keyawna: “My hubby and I met when we were just infants. My mom and I used to go over to their house all the time, which I hated. Marvin and I used to argue, fuss, and crack jokes on one another. Once we graduated from high school, we lost touch with one another until one day I got a phone call from my cousin and she said someone wanted to talk to me. Marvin got on the phone and we talked for hours. We linked up and started seeing each other on a daily basis. We never initiated being girlfriend/boyfriend but we fell in love and got married on September 13, 2008. When I say our parents are so happy, it’s an understatement. We have been happily married for 13 years and our parents are still the best of friends.”
Marvin: (bus driver for nursing home) “My mother and her mother are best friends, so we saw each other all the time. We couldn’t stand each other. She was jealous because I was always on the phone and not studying her. We grew up and I hadn’t heard from her in years. She had two kids and I had two also. I saw her cousin back in 2000 and asked her when was the last time she talked to Kay. She said, ‘I’m about to call her,’ and handed me the phone. We got to talking about the past and it went from one thing to another. We never became boyfriend and girlfriend. It went straight to marriage.”
Ellie & Brandon Kaufman
We met…bartending at Social in Perrysburg
Together for five years
Ellie: (health educator) “We were friends almost immediately and the rest is history! In the midst of the pandemic, we couldn’t have our big dream wedding at The Stables, but the wedding we got was even better. On May 30, 2020, we had an intimate ceremony with family at Side Cut Park and then celebrated at my mother-in-law’s property with a
big tent and great food!”
Andrea & Charles Tabbert
We met…in the neonatal ICU
Together for 11 years
Andrea: (nurse practitioner) “Chuck and I met while we were both working in the Neonatal ICU at Toledo Hospital. We are the NICU love story! We used to work the night shift and then go to Nick & Jimmy’s in the mornings. It was so much fun! We’ve been married
for eight years now.”
Kyle Alison Cubbon & Spiros Cocoves
We met…while attending law school (1984)
Together for 37 years
Kyle: (retired attorney and editor of MLiving News) “We were matched by a mutual friend and hit it off instantly. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together, so we visited parks and friends for our ‘dates.’ We started talking about marriage within weeks of meeting and have
never looked back.”
Erin Holden Sackmann & Matthew Sackmann
Together for eight years
We met……in grad school
Matt: (English composition instructor at The University of Toledo) “I met Erin in grad school down in Louisiana. We didn’t have any classes together but I had seen her around and, despite her coyness, we finally hit it off one evening. Eight years later, countless miles of travel, moving back to my home here in Toledo, getting married, and, now, expecting our first child in late March (!!!), and I keep loving her a little more every day. She brings joy, kindness, and grace to my life every single day. I know the pandemic wrecked a lot of relationships. Things were tough for us at the beginning (I lost my job; we were both working from home), but convinced me that I made the right decision in choosing her as a life partner.”💕
Erin: (contributing writer for Adams Street Publishing Co.) “I remember seeing Matt around campus well before we actually met and thinking he was very cute. We officially met one night at a local bar when a mutual friend introduced us, and by the end of the night we ended up dancing, slightly tipsy, at a dive called The Wild Salmon (RIP). When all of our friends were saying goodbye at the end of that night, I remember the way he looked at me, and thinking that I really want to be around this guy more. We started dating a few months later, and here we are eight years in, still very much in love. He is a creative, passionate, intelligent, adventurous man, and the best partner to experience life with.
Also, we just made a baby!”
Dane Turpening & Angie Ernest-Turpening
We met…at Bedford Public Schools
Married for eight months
Angie: (child development specialist) “ We went to school together, but never dated. We reconnected much later in life via Facebook. The original wedding we planned was for well over 150 people and it was to take place at Olander Park, as Covid hit we realized quickly that was not the responsible thing to do. We downsized to about 50 of our closest friends and family at The Libbey House. It was beyond beautiful!”
Kristi & Travis Yungmann
We met…at an eighth grade track meet
Together for 13 years
Kristi: (registered ICU nurse) “We went to different elementary schools in Ottawa, where we later started dating after he asked me to be his girlfriend at an eight grade school dance. We were married on September 25, 2020 after our first venue cancelled on us. Our second date was cancelled due to Covid, but we were finally married in September. Our special day was
definitely worth the wait!”
