Where did you and your fiancé first
meet? We first met through mutual friends while I was in undergrad
at UT and Mack was in MBA grad school at UT.  Over the years

we would see each other at various social
functions.  After I moved to California, we would only get the opportunity to see each other at UT away games in Cali
and over holiday

breaks here in Knoxville.  I finally moved
back home to Knoxville in May 2009.  We ran into each other at Aubrey’s one night soon after my move.  We exchanged
numbers, and

Mack invited me to go out on his boat with
him and some friends the following weekend.  That particular boat social didn’t pan out; however, it wasn’t long
until we made some

other plans.  We met each other the very
next Thursday at Sundown in the City.  We hit it off!  Mack surprised me with a kiss as he escorted me to my car at the
end of the night.

He asked me if I would have dinner
with him that following Sunday, and I was hesitant.  I was a bit uneasy because I just moved home and didn’t want to
immediately attach myself to

someone.  After my rambling
excuses, Mack said, “Honey, I’m not trying to start a relationship with you…I just want to take you out to
dinner.”  Famous last words!!!  We went

to dinner (ordered the exact same thing)…shared
a bottle of wine…and really, the rest is history!  That was it!  We have been inseparable ever since.

Where and how did
he propose? Mack and I love to travel together.  We were in Napa
Valley, CA.  I had a feeling that the proposal was going to happen at some point

during our trip, but was unsure
as to the timing.  We had been in Napa for a couple of days, and I truly started to doubt my suspicions.  Nothing
had happened yet.  We were

finishing up dinner, and Mack told me I
needed to get up very early the next morning for a hot air balloon ride.  At the crack of dawn we took a shuttle to
the balloon

loading/launching area.  A big group of us
waited at some picnic tables as they called out the names that corresponded with the balloon assignments.  Our
names were

the only ones called for one
particular balloon.  Mack
had rented a private balloon for just the two of us (and a pilot).  We took a gorgeous ride over

the vineyards.  I could tell Mack started to get
nervous.  He kept kissing me over and over again, and I could definitely tell it was his nerves getting the best of him. We

then spotted this one lonely animal grazing
all by himself on the side of a hill.  This prompted Mack to begin his proposal.  He said something to the effect of

not wanting to ever be that lonely animal.  He got
down on one knee in the balloon and popped the question!  Our pilot captured the moment by snapping

a picture from a camera that rigged up in the
ropes from the balloon.  We landed in a private vineyard on a property lined with wildflowers.  It was beautiful!

Where do the two of you like to hang
out? During football season you are likely to find us tailgating and in the
stadium.  During the warm months, you are

likely to find out us on the lake.  In between, we
love going out to eat and enjoying a good bottle of wine.  We also enjoy seeing live music around town.

Mack and I fell fast for each other.  We followed our hearts and
quickly jumped into an engagement.  Neither one of us regrets this; however, once engaged, we decided

to take time to focus on building a strong foundation for
a forever marriage.  We discovered that there are a lot of components to this.  At this point, we both feel extremely

confident in every aspect of our commitment to one another and
feel well equipped to have a very happy life together.  I think this is very important and special.

What do you look forward to as a married
couple? I look forward to having a lifelong friend, partner, and lover for all
of my days.  It gives me great comfort to know that I have

met someone that, without a doubt, has my best
interest and happiness in mind.  I cannot wait to embark on future life experiences with Mack by my side – overcoming life’s
challenges, discovering new places through travel, raising a family together, and more.

Amanda is shown here trying on dresses
at Wedding Wonderland