A few weeks ago I met up with Leah Pearl and fiance, Stephon Ball to create some engagement session magic. Actually, I just showed up and THEY created the magic! I'm always interested in peoples' stories, so I asked Leah to share with me a little slice of their story. The Tennessee Vol in me couldn't couldn't help but ask some questions about her dad Bruce Pearl (former UT basketball coach) and his thoughts on his baby girl's Love. The following is what Leah had to say:
Stephon and I met at a wedding in Cincinnati. His childhood friend was marrying a girlfriend of mine - Stephon was in the wedding party and I attended. The story goes that we both had our eyes on each other from the beginning of the night. The bride came up to me and said Stephon had asked about me so I immediately gained interest. All night I was trying to get his attention but he wouldn't look my way. I mean all night long... I was doing all the cute girl moves trying to get his attention and he paid me no mind. Finally, a mutual friend introduced us in a dance circle, we went over to get a drink at the bar and the rest is history!
Dad didn't really give me a hard time about Stephon being an athlete (he played football at Louisville). Dad is good about trusting my judgement. The funny story is the parallels our families have with sports. Stephon's dad is a former NFL player, now on staff for the Bengals. And my dad coaches basketball at Auburn University. With both of our dads on large scale coaching staffs, we can really relate to each other. Eric and my dad also have a weird bromance that's kind of adorable.
Our favorite thing to do together is talk. Sounds a little boring, but once Stephon and I get into a conversation there is no stopping us. Sometimes we read together and talk about what we read - like our own little couples bookclub. We feel closest to each other when we are conversing. It's like connecting on a totally different level. Whether it's about relationships, politics, religion or anything of that nature - we find a way to hear one another out and really gain a greater sense of who we are in these conversations. We both have very different love languages, but this love language allows us to come together and equally feel connected.
We always say we are each others advantage. That is what we are most excited about - being the other persons advantage in life. People say marriage is hard and that you have to work at it, well we are excited for that work. A successful marriage is like an accomplishment and we want to fulfill that everyday. Stephon and I love each other, but we also know that love isn't easy. To love someone means you have to like them as well. We may not like each other every second of everyday, but we do make one another better and that keeps our love strong. Growth in a marriage is so beautiful and we look forward to growing into a really strong team and creating a foundation to build on.
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Leah and Stephon are saying their "I do's" next summer at East Tennessee's premier wedding venue, Castleton Farms. We look forward to documenting this special time for them!
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