You may recognize Tami and Josh. A few years ago, they went viral after Tami published her “dudeoir” (a boudoir shoot for dudes!) photo shoot starring her friend Josh.
“I was searching for the perfect model as I wanted a big, hairy, logger-looking man to really make it funny and appeal to all,” she says. “My friend Josh posted a funny picture in his underwear that week on social media that caught my attention, and I knew he was the one!” Over the next few months, their lives were a total whirlwind. They were interviewed by Cosmopolitan and HuffPost as well as featured on various national TV talk shows and radio shows.
“Our courtship and dating was thrust right into the spotlight in the beginning,” she says. “The viral five seconds of fame ended, but we still really liked spending time together even when the public forgot us.” As they spent more time together, they found they could also bond over being single parents. “I am a single mom and had sworn off dating, as it was too hard to find childcare for work and to date. I hated the pressures and juggling, but Josh made it so easy and included my daughter on almost any outing we did,” she says. “He was never the guy that says, ‘Get a sitter and let’s go to the bar.’ He’d say, ‘What do you and your daughter feel like tonight?’ That made all the difference in the world. That’s when I knew he was definitely one to keep.”
After dating for a year, Josh planned to propose to Tami and asked their kids to help him. “His son and my daughter are the exact same age, so they all worked together,” she says. “I thought we were dressed nice to go to his family reunion and maybe take a few pictures together. Instead, he drove me to his favorite tree on the property where he grew up. He got out of the truck to show me the tree and took a knee while the kids took pictures. It was beautiful, and, of course, like a girl, I was thankful I wasn’t in sweats with messy hair!”
The wedding planning started immediately. They envisioned a country evening wedding with shabby chic touches, such as lace, old dressers, baby’s breath and mason jars. Tami’s daughter, Alexis, was her maid of honor and Josh’s son, Tyler, was his best man. “It was very special to us to stand alongside our children,” she says.
Looking back, Tami loved all the little details that made the big day so unforgettable. “We had a really cute, shabby chic country wedding,” she says. “There were so many details all around the ranch from chalkboards and big letters that spelled love to antique furniture and chandeliers. It was everything I dreamed.”
—Kourtney Jason
