Finding True Love When You Least Expect It

Finding True Love When You Least Expect It

Story by Liesel Schmidt | Photography by Liz Fogarty




Finding true love can be a challenge even under the best of circumstances, but they say it happens when you least expect it. And such was certainly the case when Cherie Harder met Christopher Spigelmire one summer night in 2014, never expecting that the man sitting across the table from her at a speed dating event would eventually be the love of her life. “We were both there on a lark, with low expectations that anything would come of it,” Cherie recalls.


But something did come of it, and the two became a couple, spending the next four years falling more and more in love. And with the dawn of the New Year in 2019, commercial airline pilot Chris set a destination for forever with the woman who made his heart soar. “Chris had had to fly over the holidays—the holidays are a busy time for the airlines, and he flew almost nonstop until New Year’s Day—so we celebrated Christmas on New Year’s,” says Cherie, who serves as president of the Trinity Forum. “We exchanged a number of gifts, and Chris told me that he had one more for me. He handed me a small bag, and the ring was inside. That’s one way to start the year well!”



Eight months later on August 3, 2019, Cherie walked down the aisle at Woodlawn Estate wearing a sleeveless, vee-neck a-line gown with a deep vee in the back and shirred bodice accented by a slim crystal-encrusted belt. And after she and Chris exchanged vows and were pronounced to be wed, they joined their family and friends for a reception on the grounds of the estate. Serving a variety of tasty bites and signature drinks from a bar with customized art created by Wise Decor at their pre-dinner cocktail reception, the festivities commenced with dancing and dining before the newlyweds sweetened things up by cutting into a stunning three-tier cake of hazelnut, lemon, and caramel sponge adorned by a cascade of flowers from Morning Bird Designs.


After a hearfelt sendoff by their guests to start their lives together, the Harder-Spigelmires went wheels up to their “mini moon” in Turks and Caicos, with plans to take a full honeymoon in New Zealand in the New Year.


The Details

Venue: Woodlawn Estate

Photographer: Liz Fogarty

Planner: Laura Held, Ida Rose Events

Dress/Shoes: Global Bridal Gallery

Engagement Ring: Blue Nile

Flowers: Jeanne Domenech, Morning Bird Designs

Cake: Design Cuisine

Catering: Design Cuisine

Entertainment: Bachelor Boys Band

Car Services: BBC

Invitations: Minted

Customized Bar: Wise Decor

Hair: Ulfa, Salon Amarti

Makeup: Joanna Ellis, The Highlight

Previous Article Next Article