Happy Anniversary | Heather & Brian

What are your names?
Brian and Heather Hasse

What is your anniversary date?
March 20, 2004

How long have you now been married?
Soon to be 10 years! 🙂

We’d love to share with everyone how you met, can you tell that story?
Oh boy, we are the classic “Match.com” story. Heather had a profile that she created with a girlfriend. They both decided that they wanted to see just how many guys they could get to pay for them on dates – shallow I know. 😉 Neither one of them were looking for anyone serious. Anyway, Brian replied to BOTH Heather and her girlfriend. They thought it was a riot, and Heather went on a date with Brian first. They met at Texas Roadhouse…and truthfully it was love at first sight. Totally blew Heather away as it was something that was completely unexpected. Brian was just that amazing. We were married 19 months later.

And of course we have to tell everyone how you got engaged… it’s our favorite part; please share!
Oooh, this was very classic and romantic too! Brian called Heather from work one day and said that they were going out that night and to dress nice. They lived in Portland, Oregon at the time. That night a limo pulled up and took them downtown to a beautiful restaurant on the water. During the dinner, Brian pulled out a “Build-A-Bear” with a ring tied around his neck. He got down on one knee and proposed. It was amazing!

Please tell us about your wedding? What were some of the details? Where was it? What were your favorite parts?
We were engaged in October, and we planned the wedding long distance from Portland to take place in March in Phoenix. So there was a lot of work to be done in a little amount of time. The venue that was chosen was the Secret Garden. The funny part was that Heather chose the venue when it was VERY much under construction (think dirt and a dilapidated building)…but she could see the vision of their perfect wedding day. And it truly was. Every detail was accounted for. Heather handmade almost everything from the bouquets to the tablecloths. It was absolutely perfect. One of our favorite parts was the slideshow that was shown to the guests showing the progress of Brian and Heather’s relationship. Every detail was very personal and all about us – no regrets at all on anything.

What is the best memory you have from your wedding day?
By far the best memory was the wedding vows themselves. Brian not only made vows with Heather, but to her two children as well – all personally written and promised just for them. For Alex (7 years old) he gave a clock that symbolized the time that he planned to spend with him. For Mackenzie (5 years old) he gave a small diamond ring symbolizing not only a promise to her mother but to her as well to always love her. There was not a dry eye to be seen.

Of course we have to hear about your pictures, since we were your photographers. What was it like having Kimberly photograph your wedding? What do you remember most about your photography? What is your favorite picture to this day?
We were one of Kim’s first weddings that she did professionally, and we were so blessed to have her. She paid attention to every detail and was just amazing to work with. We couldn’t have asked for a more amazing photographer. It would be too hard to narrow down just one photo, as they all hold a special place in our heart. She put the entire wedding party at ease and we had such a  blast taking the photos.

Now that your wedding is over, what is the one thing you look back on and are so thankful that you did?
We are so thankful that we put so much time and effort into every detail. Some people look back on their wedding day and think they put too much emphasis on it or spent too much money here or there, but we do not. We are so happy that we paid attention to each thing that was important to us. No regrets whatsoever in the amount of time and/or money spent.

How has life changed since your wedding day, please fill us in on all the details (moves, kids, new houses, promotions, etc).
Hah!  Well this could be a book! We have added 3 children to our family. Currently right now we have a foreign exchange student as well. We have lived in three different states during our relationship. We created a company together, sold it, quit corporate America to work from home, went back to school, became a Labor and Delivery nurse, added 3 horses to the family as well as a dog – whew, and this is just to touch the tip of the iceberg. 😉

If you have kids can you please share with us about them… we LOVE to hear fun kid stories.
We have a few of them. 😉  Alex is 17 and a musical theater kid – talented, funny and a hoot to be around. Mackenzie is 16 and our horse rider – smart and witty, beautiful girl inside and out. Natalie is 9 and a competitive dancer – strong willed and determined, but sweet as well. Kennedy is 7 and our “Mary Poppins” – she plays the piano and loves to “mother” her little brother. TJ is 5 and our spitfire – he loves anything that has a motor and wants to be a gymnast and play ice hockey. Then we have Marie – our French foreign exchange student. She is staying with us for the 2013-14 school year and will forever be our French daughter. She is such an awesome addition to our crazy family! 🙂

Do you have any updated pictures? Tell us about this picture that you are sending to us.
I do have lots of pictures. These  are the latest that were taken for our Christmas pics this year. We haven’t been able to get a “traditional” picture for a while. 🙂

When you were newly weds did you picture this would be your life, this many years after your wedding?
Well kind of. We like being spontaneous and taking life as it comes. We always wanted a large family so that was part of the plan. We really just feel so blessed to have everything that we do – we try not to take anything for granted. So we couldn’t have pictured our life exactly the way it turned out – but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you were to go back in time and tell your newly engaged selves one thing, what would it be?
Enjoy life. Every minute of every day. You never know what life is going to give you – but if you embrace it and enjoy the moment then you will never miss out on all the little blessings life has in store for you.

Do you have any advice for new bride and grooms?
Always remember the reason you fell in love. Soon “life” will take over. Before the kids, before the mess, before the craziness – it was just the two of you. Not only LOVE each other, but LIKE each other. Cling to each other. Grow with each other. Enjoy life together.