Your name and your beau’s name: Stacy McGuire and Michael ‘Mike’ Damrath
Tell us a little bit about you two as a couple! What do you do for fun? What are your pet’s names?: Mike and I enjoy spending quality time together. We enjoy watching movies, trying new restaurants in the Richmond area, playing board games, listening to music. Mike and I enjoy hosting friends and family at our home for board game nights, Super Bowl parties and holidays.
During the Summer we enjoy relaxing and playing at our Community Pool. We enjoy taking vacations during the Summer to visit family. We’re planning a cruise this September (’15) that we’re both really looking forward to! We enjoying baseball games during the Summer to watch the Richmond Flying Squirrels play. We travel to Washingon to see the Washington Natuonals play.
‘Babe’ is the name you hear most in our house, from both of us! Very rarely do we hear our first names, more often than not we hear, ‘Babe’!
Which celebrity couple are you most like?: We don’t usually follow celebrity life so it would be a challenging comparison. We prefer the quiet, introvert life. We enjoy quiet, away from the spotlight, activities. I (Stacy) enjoy volunteer opportunities, taking crafting classes and spending time with friends. Mike enjoys playing music, games and spending time with his children and family
How did that mister put the sparkle on your finger? Did you suspect it was coming? Was it a total surprise?: A surprise trip to New York City during Christmas!
Where are you getting married? What was the hardest wedding decision so far?: We’re getting married at the Historic Hanover Courthouse located across the street from the Hanover Tavern. Mike and I met for our first date on September 24, 2011 at the Hanover Tavern (Patrick Henry’s Home). During our dinner we watched 2 wedding receptions taking place in 2 different areas of the Tavern.
We are getting married on September 24, 2016. Exactly 5 years later from our first date. Maybe another couple will watch our wedding reception during their first date.
The hardest decision we’ve had to make is to move our wedding date. We were scheduled to be married on May 30, 2015 but due to unforeseen circumstances and factors out of our control we made the difficult decision that it would be best to move our wedding back. We made the best decision for us and our relationship.
Who was the most important vendor decision for you? For your fiancé?: Location! The Hanovern Tavern is held so close to our hearts. We return every year for an anniversary dinner. Once we secured the Hanover Tavern, everything else seemed to fall into place. We visited several other venues but we both said when we visited Hanover Tavern, “This feels right.” This is the location where our wedding was meant to be.
Describe your wedding in five words:
Love
Family
Fun
Beautiful
Forever
What has been the best part of wedding planning? What has been the hardest part?: The best part so far has been the planning. The amount of laughter and smiles we shared during our planning visit to the Hanover Tavern was the most fun. Talking about the date and time, talking about the menu (there will be macaroni & cheese!), the open bar (no shots!) and talking about our day. There was lots of laughter and lots of love shared that day.
The hardest part has been moving the date. Getting so excited about a Spring wedding and then having to move the date back…that was hard…for both of us. But! Everything happens for a reason and do far this has been the best decision for us. The other challenge, staying on budget! Especially when you want EVERYTHING!!! We want to have an amazing, beautiful wedding, but we also want a wedding within our budget.
Are you going on a honeymoon? What are your big plans? Was it difficult for you two to decide where to go?: YES! We have decided to visit Ireland. Mike and I want to tour and see the world. Close friends of ours visited Ireland recently, hearing about their trip, seeing their photos and hearing their experiences cemented the trip for us.
We’re planning the Castle Tour which will allow us to stay in a different castle almost every night. The history, the scenery, the beauty and the opportunity to visit another beautiful country has us very excited for our Honeymoon.
What are you most looking forward to about being married? Do you anticipate it being much different than being engaged?: Mike and I don’t believe there will be much difference after we’re married. Upon our wedding we will have know each other 8 years and together (dating/engaged) for 5 years. Since Mike and I have both been married before, we chose to focus more on our relationship than the wedding. Lessons we’ve learned in our lives.
The wedding, as beautiful as it will be, is 1 day. After that day, you’re married and you have to learn how to be married. Mike and I have chosen to focus more on our lives together as we plan this wedding. We have pro-actively gone to couples therapy to learn more about each other and ourselves. We have learned how to communicate, how to be respectful. We’ve learned how to manage our finances, we own our own (beautiful) home. We understand how to communicate and interact with Mike’s children.
We have learned to do the work in advance. We have learned what it’s like to be married before the wedding. We focus on our relationship, not on the wedding day..
