Sheridan and Drake Maxwell

from NWA Wedding Ideas - March 2023

Drake and I met in the summer of 2017. He showed up on “people you may know” on Facebook and although I didn’t know him at the time, I certainly wanted to. I remember looking at his photos, reading his biography and thinking “this man is my future husband, I just know it!”. I sent him a private message, we chatted for a few days and decided to meet. Our first “date” was a back workout, since we both have a passion for fitness. Afterwards, he took me to grab a quick bite and I couldn’t wait to continue getting to know him. We went on several more dates and after three months, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Over the next four years we had several conversations about our future. I knew without a doubt, Drake was the one I wanted to spend forever with.

I had been waiting for what felt like a lifetime for a proposal. I had thought of all the possible scenarios of how it might happen. We had several summer trips planned and I just KNEW he would do it then… until he didn’t. He kept telling me that he really wanted to throw me off. One September morning, we went to explore Dogwood Canyon. It would have been the perfect backdrop for a proposal…but he didn’t. Then he suggested dinner at Top Of

The Rock. I was hot, sweaty and definitely not dressed for that, but agreed to go. I had dropped all assumptions of a proposal. During dinner, he grabbed my hand to go watch the sunset. Out of nowhere he was down on one knee..

FINALLY! I cried and said yes. I was so thrilled that he was able to catch me off guard and do it his way.

A year later, we had planned our dream wedding! We knew we wanted some sort of lake view as Beaver Lake holds a special place in our hearts.

When we visited Whitney Mountain Lodge, we knew it was the right place for us. On October 22, 2022 we got to say our “I Do’s” and start our new journey together. It was a windy day (30 mph) but the Lodge staff did such an amazing job ensuring a swift ceremony.

As we made our way indoors for our reception, my magical vision came to life. My dress sparkled and glistened like Cinderella during a ballroom dance. Christi, our photographer, was able to capture the most romantic photos of us. Cowboy Catering served a mouthwatering dinner pasta and salad buffet - every last piece was gone! After all the food and photos, we danced the night away with Entertain4NWA! They blew us away with their attention to detail.

We were blessed to have had our fairytale wedding and are so thankful for all of our amazing vendors who helped make it possible.