The River House | St. Augustine, Florida
When shooting a wedding you like to have good weather, a great location and an amazing couple. Autumn and David’s River House wedding in St. Augustine had all three!! From the moment I arrived at the Casa Marina to capture all the getting ready excitement Sam and I were instantly treated like family. That is how I would describe the entire day. Both families were warm and welcoming and you could see that this was truly a blending of two families becoming one. There was so much happiness and I even caught myself tearing up when Autumn’s dad delivered his reception speak. It was a honor to be part of their day and know they have forever to look forward to. When writing my blog, I like to share the couple’s love story. Below is Autumn and David’s story in their own words.
How We Met: David and I met in October 2014 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Tallahassee, FL. The first time I saw David, he was in my line at Communion. As a eucharistic minister, I gave him the Precious Blood. I remember thinking, “Wow, I hope that cute guy comes in my line.”, then quickly scolding myself for thinking about that while I was administering the Blood of Christ! Later that evening, David and I met at the ice cream social that FSU’s Catholic Student Union hosts after mass. For about 4 months David and I grew in friendship as we chatted at CSU events and volunteer projects. In January, David came over to my house one evening for a surprise birthday party for my roommate. At the end of the night, David and I ended up outside by the bonfire in deep conversation. He didn’t leave until 4am that morning! That’s when we both knew that we wanted something more than friendship. A few days later, I got a text from David that will forever live in infamy: “Hey Autumn, would you like to go out for some hot chocolate/ coffee/ some warm liquid to drink?” His goofy awkwardness was quite charming! And, of course I said yes! Our first date was February 1, 2015… Superbowl Sunday. We met that morning at Lake Ella in Tallahassee, drank coffee, and walked around the lake for nearly 4 hours. Neither of us wanted the date to end, and so we extended it to a lunch date at a nearby Mexican restaurant. Still not wanting the date to end, David asked me what my plans were for watching the Superbowl that night, and if I wanted to watch it with him. I told him that I wished I could, but that my mom was coming in town that night and that we were going to go out together to watch the game. David’s response: “Okay, well can I come with you?”. After church that evening, David went on to meet my mom on our very first date! If you were wondering… Yes, it was the Spanish Inquisition all over again. That night, David gave me a kiss on the front porch (which was my first kiss ever)! And the rest has been the most beautiful love story that God has ever written.
The Proposal: On December 15th Autumn and I were in Gainesville, FL apartment shopping. Autumn was to attend medical school the coming July. We knew we wanted to get married shortly after her first year began, so we spent the whole day looking for the place where Autumn and I would begin our married life. It was exciting planning our future together. Later that night we went on a walk around The University of Florida campus. We spent hours walking around and talking about this and that. I love going on walks with her. We came upon a garden patio between the College of Medicine and Shands Hospital. Autumn told me this spot is special. This green space is where she’ll be taking pictures with her classmates on the first day of classes, the last day of classes, and when she receives her white coat. The place holds memories for all students. The conversation was lovely and she was absolutely beautiful. This felt like the perfect time to do it. I bought her engagement ring a month prior and kept it close for a perfect time like this to present itself. In that moment I reach to pull the ring out of my pocket …. It’s not there! I remembered I left her ring inside the pocket of the car door. In my mind I scramble to think of a plan where I can retrieve the ring and bring her back to this same spot without giving away my intentions. So I tell Autumn that there is one last place I’d like to show her on campus, but first we must go back to the car so we can move it to a closer parking lot. As we were driving to “a closer parking lot” Autumn noticed me fidgeting with my hand in the car door, she thought I’d dropped my phone! Obviously, she didn’t have the slightest clue what I was really reaching for. We parked the car not too far from where it was before, and our lovely walk resumed. We began to make our way back to the very special and familiar green space by the College of Medicine. It was nighttime and the area was softly lit, red brick was under our feet, and green leaves over our heads. The two of us were alone … I reiterate how this place will hold so many memories over the coming years, I tell Autumn just how stunning she is and how she makes me feel like the luckiest man on the planet. “Autumn Gabrielle Miller” I say, she laughs back “David Antonio Prieto”, still naïve to my intentions. As I get down on one knee, I tell her “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” Through her giggles and tears I catch a “yes”, and that’s when I knew that for the rest of my life, I would always be the luckiest man alive.
