Heidi and Kat bonded over their mutual passion for nature and the outdoors. They both love camping in beautiful, remote places that have barely been touched by humans. When they embark on these adventures together, they say, they fall into the most natural rhythm.
The pair met on Tinder in March 2020 and immediately began talking all day every day. They are currently in a long distance relationship between Nevada and Georgia, but they travel to each other whenever possible.
“We have both been through a lot of relationships,” they write, “including multiple engagements, and in Heidi’s case, marriage. Through our past experiences, we both really started deeply working on healing our trauma and learning to love ourselves and treat ourselves with respect, so we are able to fully love and respect each other. That is definitely the most important and special part of the relationship. However, we both love diving into our spirituality and tinkering around with tarot cards and astrology, and our passion and love for exploring wild and raw nature was a natural fit.”
Heidi and Kat plan to elope with a small group of friends in the Oregon woods. Their engagement session with Amanda Summerlin Photography took place in Nevada’s Lamoille Canyon.
How did you each know you had found the one?
Heidi would say she knew Kat was the one when she hopped out of the truck on the side of the road and peed, and tucked her TP into the side of the door since she didn’t have a bag to dispose of it (which made her fall apart in shock and laughter), or on our first camping trip where Kat peed right through the camping chair because she was laughing so hard (egged on by Heidi, of course). These moments were in the first 3 months.
Kat knew Heidi was the one when she realized that Heidi really understood who she was as a person – when we talked about the fact that Kat is on the spectrum/autistic and Heidi absolutely loved that about her and knew how to be patient, kind and understanding in the way Kat is extremely literal and has a hard time in certain social situations because of the way she views the world… and Heidi is able to bring awareness to her in a way that makes both of them laugh non-stop. Kat had never felt so understood, and hence, extremely loved, cherished and cared for.
Who Proposed?
Kat surprised herself AND Heidi when she proposed. Kat and Heidi both knew that the other had purchased an engagement ring some time in May, but it was a race to see who got the ring first, and who would come up with a good plan to propose first. On the night Kat proposed, it was Heidi’s last night in Atlanta for the summer…Kat had put the ring in her pocket “just in case” the moment felt right.
Well, the evening turned out to be beyond perfect, as we ate the most amazing food, enjoyed beautiful weather and wonderful wine by a fire on the deck…Kat was able to finally get out, “I want to spend a million perfect evenings like this with you. Will you marry me?” and pulled out the ring.
Heidi was so surprised, and it was truly a beautiful surprise to both of them how the simple, lovely evening turned out. Heidi prepared a counter-proposal for Kat in July, where she had a custom puzzle made from another sweet moment on the deck, with writing on the puzzle asking Kat to spend her whole life with Heidi. She followed it up with a stunning diamond and rose gold engagement ring.
Tell us all about the rings!
Heidi’s ring is a custom Rustic & Main ring made from walnut wood and has real lavender flowers embedded in the ring. She wanted a wooden ring (as does Kat for her wedding band), and this one is just what Heidi wanted, something solid and nature-y with a bit of femininity. Kat’s rose gold ring was custom designed by Heidi with a princess cut diamond and some antique elements, which is more beautiful than Kat could have imagined. We are going to add some diamond’s from my Grammy’s engagement ring, from the marriage with the love of her life, which will add a special family touch with sentimental value.
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Photographer: Amanda Summerlin Photography
Jewelry: Rustic and Main
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Molly Sprayregen
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