Oct/Nov Engagements
Sarah Franken and Austin Bernard
The trust fall is a classic test of reliance, and this couple has explored the theory to the fullest. On their third date, Sarah Franken and Austin Bernard were hiking the Pinnacles when Sarah lost her footing. Austin sprinted to her rescue and, in true heroic fashion, caught her before anything traumatic happened.
“He then had to catch me on the way back down when I slid down the rock wall again,” Sarah says. “I was embarrassed, but Austin made me feel at ease.”
In March, the two traveled to Arizona on another hiking excursion where they ventured off the beaten path. Once again, Austin was by Sarah’s side when she was having moments of panic. The couple’s love of outdoors and memorable third date was the most emblematic spot for Austin to ask Sarah to be his wife.
Sarah agreed and appreciated his choice because it represented the reliance they have on each other. “I know that I can trust this man, literally, with my life,” she says.
Tina Naros and Matt Kirchoff
Nothing says love like preschool romance, right? Tina Naros and Matt Kirchoff went to school together from preschool through college, and they even had a short dating stint in seventh grade. Then Matt broke up with Tina at the Valentine’s Day dance, and she thought they were done for good.
But all great love stories start with a strong friendship, and this couple can attest to that. Even with the seventh-grade heartbreak, Tina convinced Matt they should give it another go while they were students at the University of Missouri. The two once again made it work and spent their college careers enjoying everything from Cardinals games to the Christmas décor in Kansas City together.
Tina and Matt have been a match since they were kids, and with years of friendship and dating as a foundation for their marriage, they truly have stood the test of time.
Kayse Loyd and Blake Larkin
“I have 10 days to make him like me,” Kayse Loyd told her mom about her now fiancé, Blake Larkin.
The two had been talking over a summer break from college. They hit if off, but Blake insisted attending separate schools and his busy basketball schedule would make maintaining a solid relationship impossible. Kayse wasn’t afraid of a challenge, and she succeeded by winning Blake over. The two have been together ever since.
Kayse says she and Blake are opposites, and she enjoys his random goofiness, which includes impersonating country singers, that other people don’t often get to witness. Blake appreciates Kayse’s nurturing personality that has proven what a great mother she will make someday.
The couple was engaged on Kayse’s birthday, when she received her most memorable gift. They wed on Sept. 21 of this year.