In our modern world, you don’t expect to hear of a young couple beginning their relationship at a square dance. But that’s exactly what happened to Brandon Schmitt and Heather Saimons. Their can’t-stop-thinking-about-you kind of love fell into place at an old-fashioned social event in Bellingham.
On their first official date, the couple attended the square dance to watch a friend who was the caller. “The first time Brandon and I held hands was while we were dancing,” Heather said. With a laugh she added, “He didn’t want to let go.”
In between promenades, Heather and Brandon kept looking at each other, smiling and holding hands.
“It’s like we just kept giggling,” Heather said. “It was silly.”
Brandon had a head start in the falling head-over-heels department. “We originally met at a life group at our church,” he said. “I knew when she walked through the doors that she was the one.”
“He knew. I didn’t,” countered Heather, a local girl who graduated from Stanwood High School. “He was all bearded and scruffy,” she noted. “After I got to know him, his personality came out. Then I saw past the scruffiness.”
Brandon jokes that he was born a ramblin’ man. After growing up in a variety of places, including Alaska, Iowa, New Jersey, Michigan, and Canada, he rambled back home to Washington state. He admits that he looked pretty scruffy.
“I had a beard but it wasn’t a good one. I just kept growing it because I wanted to get it right.” Shortly after meeting Heather, he gave in to a razor. “After I cleaned up, I knew she dug me.”
Soon, the two found themselves carpooling to their life group meetings, with Heather doing all the driving. “He had this old truck that he didn’t want me to see,” Heather said. “At the time, he didn’t know I was a farm girl and used to such things.”
Brandon kept his old truck a secret by waiting outside of the park-and-ride. When Heather would arrive, they would set out on their 20-minute drive. “I always looked forward to that night,” Brandon grinned.
How many carpools did it take for them to fall in love? They’re not sure, but conversations during those trips became the cornerstone of their romance.
A year later, on the anniversary of their first date, Heather and Brandon attended a friend’s harvest party in Everett. Brandon and a few close friends knew the evening was to be extra special.
“I had the ring in my pocket the whole day so I couldn’t possibly lose it,” Brandon said. “That night, a really close friend, Paul, set me up by saying, ‘Brandon, do you have something to say?’ That’s when I proposed.”
Heather had no idea that she would become the focal point of the night. “We hadn’t been ring shopping or anything,” she said. “Brandon picked out the ring all by himself. It was a little tight, but pretty close to the right size.”
The whole evening, Heather never suspected a thing, although she does recall that Brandon was acting a bit strange. “He eats a lot,” she said. “That night he hardly had anything to eat. I wondered if he was sick or something,” she said.
“After Paul set him up, I still had no clue. I figured Brandon was just getting up to say something. Immediately, when he dropped to one knee, I knew.”
That was in November, 2006. Heather and Brandon married on Aug. 11, 2007.
“We did a lot of planning, but it didn’t seem stressful at all,” Heather said. “Once I got past looking at all the fancy bridal magazines and looked at the real world, things fell into place.”
The wedding was held at Walkers Nursery in Arlington. “Our wedding was big but simple,” Heather said. “The day of the wedding I was totally relaxed. It was fun.”
“We were blessed in so many ways,” Brandon added. “People helped with food and flowers. What blew me away was how many people stepped up and helped out.”
The couple has many friends who are musically talented. Different songs were performed, including “Amazing Grace” during the ceremony.
“We hung out until late, leaving at 10 o’clock at night,” Brandon said. “As we left, we stopped to look across the pond. It looked like something out of a movie, with the light on the water and people dancing. That whole day was incredible.”
Their honeymoon destination was equally as magical. “Everything about our honeymoon was a huge blessing to us,” Heather said. “My aunts had a time share in Puerto Vallarta. They gave us use of the condo for our honeymoon. Our parents donated their air miles to us and we had wedding money to spend.”
The couple was shocked at how beautiful the condominium was. “The time share had a balcony and a pool,” Brandon said. “It was probably the nicest place we’ll stay in our whole marriage.”
Of course, the beauty extended to the outdoor surroundings. “It’s kind of the rainy season in August, so it was warm enough during the day with thunder and lightning storms at night,” Heather said. “It was gorgeous.”
The couple used their wedding money to pay for day trips into Puerto Vallarta, including an ATV trip into the mountains. “It must have been funny for people to see this group of 15 people, all wearing yellow helmets, bombing through town on ATVs in the middle of traffic,” Brandon said.
Heather and Brandon also went on a canopy tour, harnessed into a zip line crossing 1,000 meters of jungle. “It was great to go on an adventure, then go back to the poolside to take a nap,” Heather said.
Now, five months into their marriage, the couple has taken on the adventure of home ownership. Their 1,100 square-feet home in Arlington was originally owned by Heather and her parents. “My parents and I bought this house two years ago. They saw it as an investment for themselves. Now, it’s ours.”
With their days filled with work (Brandon is a firefighter in Granite Falls and Heather is a teacher at Elger Bay Elementary on Camano Island), they enjoy taking time to spruce up their home, which was built in 1925 and is on a 2.5-acre lot.
“The last owners remodeled the house about 10 years ago,” Heather said. “Cosmetically, we’re making it our own.”
As for their future plans…
“We definitely have plans for kids in our future,” Heather said. “We’re both the oldest in our families and our parents aren’t just dropping hints anymore.”
Her mom was hoping a special baby announcement would be the 2007 Christmas gift for all of the grandparent hopefuls.
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