photographed by Caren Kirven Oates and Phillip Guyton Marriage Love &
“
...the ball field is a big part of who you are and what people know you for, so it just makes sense.” ~Jill to Jamie about their wedding plans
Jill & Jamie Young Jill Young met her beloved Jamie in April 2008 on a blind date set up by her sister
and his sister-in-law. “We met for lunch at Red Bone Alley. I was nervous! I had recently gotten divorced and was really unsure about the whole dating thing again. He was also a few years older than me, and I knew he had not been married. I wasn’t sure about how he would feel about dating a divorcee with a child. I then said a quick prayer and decided to leave it in God’s hands. If it was meant to be, then it would work; if not, then that was ok, too.” Jamie adds, “When I first met Jill, she smiled at me and introduced herself. Her smile really stuck with me. The more we talked, the more relaxed I felt and found that talking to her was actually easy to do.” She had no need to worry; Jamie got along perfectly with her son, Andrew. As sum-
mer approached, Jamie prepared for the busy season ahead as General Manager of the Florence RedWolves. “When we started dating, I told her two things would determine how our relationship was going to go - how Andrew received me and my crazy schedule with baseball from mid-April through mid-August. Fortunately, Andrew and I got along great and both of them came to RedWolves games - originally to see me at first, but then they liked going because of the atmosphere. I think they would go to a game even if I wasn’t working that day! Jill accepted me for me and was very understanding of my work schedule. The old saying is you can’t change a man…especially one that is 43!” Aſter nine months of dating, Jamie decided to propose. “That weekend, she had
bought tickets for us to see the Steelers versus the Titans in Nashville as an early Christ- mas present. I am a big Steelers fan, and I had never been to a pro game before. She was so happy to see me happy when we got in the stadium. It was a lot of fun.” She adds, “At this point, we had not discussed or even mentioned marriage to each other.” That Sunday aſter the game, they visited the Opryland Hotel (which they both agree is breathtaking at Christmas). “We were walking around, then stopped to watch a water fountain light show timed to Christmas music. I told him that this had been the perfect weekend, and I didn’t know how it could be any better. He dropped to one knee and asked, ‘Would it be better if I asked you to marry me? Will you marry me?’ I started cry- ing and managed to get out a yes.” Says Jamie, “I totally caught her off guard, and it was a great thrill to see her that happy.”
52 February 2014
The couple married on March 27, 2010. “I was excited about the wedding and ready
to begin our life together. I knew she was the one, and I was ready to move on with life with her and Andrew. I wanted everything to go the way she had envisioned and for that type of day to continue on long aſter.” Since they were paying for their wedding, they had to keep a strict eye on their budget. At first, Jamie thought Jill wanted something a bit fancy for their reception. “I had always said if the day comes when the Lord brings me the right person to marry, she can have any kind of wedding she wants, but I want an outdoor, pig picking type of reception. I wanted something where people could go home and change into comfortable clothes, bring their kids, eat good food and have a great time. I wanted our wedding day to be one remembered by guests as a fun time.” Boy, was he surprised when Jill suggested the American Legion baseball field! “My chin hit the floor! She was serious! The planning all fell into place once we had the loca- tion, which turned out to be perfect. She told me the ball field is a big part of who you are and what people know you for, so it just makes sense. We had a blast and I believe everyone else did, too! The food was great, the band was great. It wasn’t too chilly, and we had things for the kids to do to keep them entertained so folks didn’t have to pay for a babysitter. It was definitely what I always said I would have on my big day.” She agrees, “The baseball field was a major part of our lives. During the summer, Andrew and I would go to all the games. We also wanted our reception to be very laid back and casual. Since most of our friends have children, we wanted them to be able to come run around and play on the jump castles without their parents worrying about them.”
shemagazine.com
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