Real weddings: Couples tell iDO their stories

Stash Petton and Lindsey Davis were married Nov. 7, 2009, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Apple Creek.

How you and your husband met:

A mutual friend introduced us seven years ago (which started our "thing" with the number seven). We stayed friends but never dated until Feb. 2, 2008, when he sent me a text message asking if I wanted to go watch a movie. Then we started dating from there. The seven thing: We've known each other seven years; got pregnant on Nov. 7 with our first child together; got married Nov. 7 (seven days before our seven-year mark) of the following year.

Describe the proposal:

He did the old-fashioned thing with asking my parents first (bribed them with White Castle for my dad and Subway for my mom) the day before. The next night, Sept. 19, we went to a friend's house where they had champagne and a camera hidden. He at first was trying to make it sound like he was breaking up with me then got on one knee and proposed.

Sum up your wedding experience:

The thing I loved the most was planning! Even when things went wrong, I started figuring out an alternative instead of stressing about it.

Your advice to other brides:

Don't stress about things. This is your day and everything will work out to make it perfect. Even if there are little mishaps it adds to the uniqueness of your day (and makes for a good laugh later). Also, trust the professionals you hire. For my flowers I just told them what colors I liked and about the feather idea then said "have at it." They can do wonderful, creative things when given the chance. Same thing happened with the cake. Have fun when you're planning, pick things you like. It's your day!

To submit your real wedding story for an upcoming issue of iDO magazine, contact Callie Clark Miller at cmiller@semissourian.com or call 573-388-3644 for more information.