Jessica Sandercock (left) and her fiance Dain Wilkerson (right) took engagement photos in Santiago Oaks Regional Park during the summer. "We were sweating profusely," Sandercock said.
Sandercock: from bridesmaid to bride
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Three years ago, English teacher Jessica Sandercock met her fiance, Dain Wilkerson, at a friend’s wedding, where they fell in love at first sight. She was a bridesmaid and he was a groomsman.
“The next day, [we went through the reception and] they had us paired up to walk into the wedding together to be announced,” Sandercock said. “He was so embarrassed, because he didn’t know anybody, [and] then he dragged me basically across the floor, and there’s this picture of him just taking my hand across the dance floor, because he didn’t want to be noticed.”
The two had an instant connection as they then talked the night away. Memories of their first date brought laughter as she reminisced about it.
“It was really awkward—he tried to sit in the same booth as me and I was like, yeah just sit across from me, ‘cause I wanna see you,” Sandercock said.
It was also through their meeting that she found another love: their pet cat Scout.
“At the wedding, I gave a speech and I made a joke about men liking cats more than dogs, and on our first date he told me that he liked cats more than dogs, and I didn’t think it was gonna work out,” Sandercock said. “As a joke, he took me to look at cats, and I fell in love with one, and now we have our pet cat Scout.” Later, they added another cat, Sully, to the family.
Even with an awkward start to their relationship, the couple eventually settled into a comfortable lifestyle. The two enjoy traveling around the states and have gone to Hawaii and Minnesota. They keep track of the places they have been to with a map of the U.S.
“I feel like kind of more comfortable; we don’t have to create this huge big life in order to have it be special,” Sandercock said. “We’ve created like our own little life that makes sense to us, and I think that that’s kind of important, you know.”
The proposal came out of the blue on Wilkerson’s birthday. What Sandercock thought initially was a disappointing gift she gave him, later turned into an amazing proposal to her.
“He said, ‘I want you to marry me,’ and got down on one knee in our kitchen with our cats scratching on the couch,” Sandercock said. “It was perfect.”
