Meggan and Jimmy were both born and raised in a small town in Northern California. The two share an interest in the outdoors, and their dates included fishing and camping, and trips to the coast. “We did a lot of things with my brother, too, and his wife,” Meggan says, “because she’s my good friend and Jimmy is my brother’s good friend.”

Meggan was attracted to Jimmy’s values, morality and his strong work ethic. “He’s just so kind and honest, and there’s really nothing that I would ever have to worry about with him, because I know he’s always going to take care of everything,” Meggan says.

Jimmy was impressed with Meggan’s character, as well. “She’s very loving and kind,” Jimmy says. “Seeing her as a single mother made me know she was going to be a great mom. That’s really hard for a single person to do—raise a little girl by herself.”

Jimmy proposed on Christmas Day, the same year that they began dating. Family surrounded them as he gave Meggan one large box with a lot of smaller boxes inside with notes in them, one of which contained the ring. “I almost passed out, I was so surprised,” Meggan says.

Meggan’s Aunt Tamra had recently bought a ranch, and it was the perfect place for the wedding. “I just had a vision when I saw it, and it turned out the way I wanted,” Meggan says. “We had to put in grass and paint the barn red, and put the gravel down. We had a bunch of stuff to do. So our families traveled there multiple times for about eight months until we had it all perfect.” 

In one of the most moving and meaningful parts of the wedding ceremony the couple brought a pot filled with soil and Meggan’s daughter, Blake, joined them. “Then we each took a flower and we put it into the pot together,” Meggan says, “and we planted our flowers into the soil . . . It was like the three of us growing together.”  Blake was the flower girl for the wedding.

Meggan’s grandfather and his friend made the reception dinner, which was barbecue, and her stepmom made the cake. The rehearsal dinner at the ranch involved pizza, music and a bonfire with family and friends. The officiant was Meggan’s uncle.

At the reception, many members of the wedding party and family members spoke briefly about Meggan and Jimmy. “My favorite speech was from my Aunt Tamra,” Meggan says. “She explained how proud she was of me, and how much she loved Jimmy. She explained how she was honored to host our wedding at her home and how much it meant to her, and hugged both of us! She definitely made me cry!”

There was also the enthusiasm of Meggan’s 80-year-old aunt. “She doesn’t drink a drop of alcohol, but she just was so happy for us and loves Jimmy so much,” Meggan says. “She just decided to go crazy at the wedding and she was dancing so hard, everybody was videoing her.”

—Margaret Snider