Today on the blog we are featuring Ellie & Neil’s wedding day. The two tied the knot on Saturday, June 15th at the Mountain Grove, but their story started way before that. Ellie & Neil have known each other for their whole lives. Their story is too sweet not to share. Here is Ellie’s take on how the two reconnected, and how Neil decided to pop the big question!
How we reconnected
Neil and I have known each other since we were kids. His dad and my dad went to medical school together at UVA. Our parents were all friends at UVA and spent a lot of time together. His dad was my dad’s best man in my parents wedding! My dad had started his pediatric practice in Rochester, NY (where I grew up) so we would only see the Harrison’s when we went to Virginia to see my dad’s side of the family.
As a senior at the University of Delaware I randomly decided to apply to UVA Medical Center for my first nursing job. I thought I was going to end up in NYC but wanted to interview there as a “back up” option. When I went to Charlottesville to interview in spring of my senior year, my mom told me that Neil was at UVA for school and she wanted me to catch a meal with him. I hadn’t seen him since I was around 10, and I remember being frustrated because I wanted to get back to Delaware for a party but decided I should see him anyway. We ended up going out to dinner and had a great time. Before I left to drive back to school he made me a coffee at his apartment and let me keep his mug, I remember thinking that was the nicest thing. My first experience with that southern hospitality 😉
After interviewing at a couple hospitals in NYC I knew I wanted to go to Charlottesville for my new home after college. When I moved there the following summer, Neil and I were instantly inseparable. We started dating that fall– my dad tries to claim it was all arranged!
How He Asked
Neil and I were going on a camping trip at McAfee Knob with two of our good friends, Paul and Katie Lynne. We had been meaning to do this hike for a very long time so we were all pretty excited. It’s around a 4 mile hike to the top…We got there at the perfect moment, right as the sunset was getting good. We wanted to get a picture at the “knob”, the cliff overlook on the summit. It looks coolest if you sit down, but Neil insisted we stand. Then he asked, “Did I show you that rock I found on the hike?” and got down on one knee. As you can see in the video, I was shocked! I thought we were waiting until we both finished school in a couple years. I instantly go down on my knees as well and hug him. All of our family members were not happy with how close we were to the edge at this moment. Fortunately our friends were able to capture the whole thing. We spent the night at the coolest hidden campsite, a little cave, near the summit. The next morning we caught sunrise, headed back down the mountain, and went into town for brunch. The whole weekend was magical.
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