Clear Cut Couples: Grayson and Maddie
Grayson and Maddie grew up in the same town, Maddie being one year younger than him. Grayson was out eating dinner with his friend group at the same restaurant where she was with her friend for a birthday party. Maddie added him on Snapchat while they were there, and he instantly responded before walking into the other room and talking to her. He must have said something really smooth because they have been together ever since. What makes the story even better is that neither one of them could drive. She was 14 and he was 15!
Their first date was at a local Mexican restaurant on November 3, 2016. There was a community pep rally that night. Grayson ended up driving to their date and the pep rally alone as a 15-year-old. He still isn’t sure if their parents know this story! About halfway through the date, they start talking about the new house being built just up the road. Of course, once they were done eating, they decided to hop in the car and go see it. They were almost there when, all of the sudden, blue lights and sirens came flying up behind them. Grayson thought his life was over. Luckily, the cop had somewhere else to be and did not pull him over. What a rush that was! And… the rest is history!
They have shared so many incredible memories over the years. The most memorable story for them, by far, was the weekend of 6/22-23/23, when they took a trip for the surprise engagement. Grayson wanted to make the engagement an event to remember rather than just a moment, so they made the short trip to Nashville after she got off work Thursday night. Grayson was running late because he was helping get things for the surprise party while she was at work. He picked her up and they took off. Got to the hotel at 9:15pm, and had to figure out how to valet a car, threw their stuff in the room, and took off running to try to make it to Miranda Lambert's Bar before dining closed. As they walked up the stairs, they were confronted by the worker with the sign that said, "diner closed". Morale was low. Maddie was getting blisters on her leg from her boots because he forgot the Band-Aids, and they had to come up with an alternative place to eat with everything closing soon. They came up with a plan to go get Band-Aids from the nearest Walgreens. They rented scooters and took off (without looking to see if they were open). When they got there; it was closed!
At this point, Grayson was upset. This is not how the best weekend ever was supposed to start and Maddie could tell. So, then they just walked, to go find food, Maddie’s feet still hurting. They decided to go get dinner at a food truck and felt like they salvaged the night. Then, they walked back up to the hotel and got ready to go to bed, and there was no hot water. The entire hotel's hot water system was broken. It was laughable at that point! Then, they realized that they did not pack a single charger. Even with all that happening, Maddie was sure to remind Grayson often that it was going to be okay, and they were making memories.
On that same Nashville trip, the next morning, Grayson woke up to "go get them breakfast". Maddie’s mom and sister replaced him to help her get ready. Then he met his mom, the photographer, and the videographer at the venue, Cheekwood Estates Botanical Gardens. Maddie had sent him this place multiple times on Instagram over the years. It was absolutely smooth sailing from there and went perfectly. Thankfully, the proposal was the complete opposite of the night before.
The proposal was a semi-surprise! Maddie knew that Grayson had the ring, but she knew absolutely nothing about when and where or who the ring was from. The reaction was tears. She said she could hardly see the ring initially because of the tears. It glimmered more when he put it in her finger than any other time he had seen it. “We were both amazed,” they said!
As for the wedding, they haven't nailed down the details and are just enjoying being engaged! Congrats you two! We are SO happy for you!
Photos by: @toniawilliamsonphotography