How did you two meet?
Mary Ruth: "I had just graduated from Auburn University and was home for the summer before I started graduate school. I had only been home for a few days when a friend of mine had invited me over to hang out by her pool. When I arrived, I noticed Tripp in the corner, however, at the time I was way more concerned with catching up with my friends that I hadn’t seen in a while. Because of this, we left the pool having little to no interaction. I was pretty oblivious, but little did I know Tripp had been asking everyone there about me. Later that night, a bunch of people from the pool all met back up for dinner. Tripp left a wedding early in hopes that he could come join us, and I would be there. Shortly after he arrived at the dinner, he came up to start a conversation with me. This is when he caught my attention. I remember it being so easy to carry on a conversation with him. We talked and laughed the rest of the night. At the end of the night, Tripp asked me on a date, and the rest is pretty much history. Other than my three week trip to Italy, we spent every second that we could together that summer. Tripp quickly became my best friend. Looking back, it truly is amazing how the Lord is in every single detail of our lives. Tripp and I grew up in the same town, with many mutual best friends, and were in the same places on numerous occasions. However, the Lord was not quite ready for us to meet until that one day at the pool. We are both so thankful the Lord’s plans are higher than our own."
Tripp: "We met at a mutual friends house at the very beginning of summer. I just remember being almost star struck when I first spoke to her. I remember being so nervous. It sounds cliche, but I instantly felt like this person meant something to me. That is a feeling you wait for your whole life."
How and when did Tripp propose?
Mary Ruth: "Tripp proposed on May 12th, 2017. To start the night, we went to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. After the dinner, Tripp had told me we were going to stop by his friend’s graduation party. We had a little time to kill before the party, so Tripp made up some reason for us to go walk around the courtyard of the Nativity Church (the church where his parents were married). Once we got into the courtyard, Tripp turned to face me and started rambling and fiddling with his fingers as he adorably does when he gets nervous. At this moment, I started to realize what was happening. I was so excited when he got down on one knee. I just remember yelling, 'yes' and leaning down to give him a kiss. After the proposal, we had time to pray over our future lives together and everything that is to come. Both of us felt like it was so important to praise God for bringing our relationship to the point of engagement, and to pray that He continues to bind us together throughout our future marriage. After we had time to ourselves, we went to 'his friend’s graduation party' which was really a gathering of close family and friends to celebrate our engagement."
Tripp: "I proposed to Mary Ruth on May 12th 2017. We both grew up in the Episcopal church, and also both went to the same church briefly while we were young. We were celebrating our anniversary this night, and I wanted it to mean something-- but was also given strict instructions for it to be simple. After dinner we went to the courtyard outside of the church we both went to as kids (Nativity Episcopal Church). I proposed to her there because we both know and agree that any successful marriage has God at the center of it."
What are some things ya’ll like to do together?
Mary Ruth: "Tripp and I have fun doing absolutely anything together! (Except maybe watching the Iron Bowl, haha.) But seriously, he is my best friend, which makes anything fun. We both have a passion for sports. We love eating a good meal together, whether we are cooking or finding a new, fun restaurant. We love binge watching television series. We love refurbishing old furniture for our future home together when we get married. We love spending time with family and friends. We love spending time at the beach. We love anything competitive. The list could go on and on."
Tripp: "I didn’t think I would meet someone that loved food as much as I do! One of the things we love to do the most is eat and try new places. We both love sports, although we have very different opinions on who the best team is: Alabama or Auburn. We can also binge watch TV shows with the best of them!"
Describe each other in three words.
Mary Ruth: "Tripp is selfless, hardworking and compassionate."
Tripp: "Mary Ruth is patient, understanding and spectacular."
