Our Love Story
NATALIE'S STORY
EMMANUEL'S STORY
Natalie grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky surrounded by close family and friends. She graduated from Elizabethtown High School in May of 2021. She currently attends Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as a senior studying marketing and political science. Natalie serves as the Vice President of Finance for Alpha Delta Pi sorority and conducts faculty research through the honors college and political science department. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.
Emmanuel grew up in Rineyville, Kentucky with his parents and their large and loving church family. He graduated from John Hardin High School in May of 2021 with an associates degree. He studied cybersecurity at the University of Louisville and graduated in May of 2024 as a Porter Scholar. Emmanuel is currently getting his Masters in Business Administration at UofL while working in Humana's risk and compliance department. In his free time, he enjoys playing intramurral basketball.
MEETING
From E's Perspective: I first saw Nat through a group organization between our schools. The first impression was just a wow factor... I thought to myself that she was pretty, and I was too shy to talk. Fast forward a couple of months, and I receive a snap on Snapchat from Natalie Schory. She wished me a happy birthday and the rest was history! We began talking daily on the phone, leading to our first date at Freeman Lake. The theme for our first date was a picnic. I was so nervous about the picnic, that I forgot the picnic basket and had to turn around. I was so late to the date, but thank God she was still there. Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that my mom came too because I did not have my full license at that time. What a first impression huh? The date ended up being amazing!! The rest is history!!!!
From Nat's Perspective: Emmanuel and I met through Hardin County's Youth Leadership program our junior year of high school. We didn't interact much until a mutual friend wished him happy birthday on Snapchat. I recognized him from the program and messaged him with the intention of being friends. With our birthdays being two days apart, we continued texting until Emmanuel asked me on a date at Freeman Lake park. I wasn't looking for a relationship because I knew I'd be leaving for college in a year, but decided to say "yes" for the fun of it. On July 8th, 2020, I waited for over 20 minutes for this man to show up for our first date. As I was about to leave, his car pulled up right next to mine. Long story short, I'm glad I stayed - noting that the Lord has blessed me with many strengths, but patience is not usually one of them. Our first date was perfect and so so easy. God's plan was way better than mine, and I couldn't imagine life without Emmanuel.
PROPOSAL
I had been planning the proposal for about two years off and on. I had about 8 plans for every single location that Nat kept telling me she might be at. Once she told me that she would was going to be in Kentucky for the summer, I knew it was time for a game plan. I love gardens, and the Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Louisville were timeless.
The day of the proposal was nerve racking. The night before I could not sleep a wink, because I was like, " What am I going to do if it rains?" The day began and the proposal was the only thing on my mind. My momma told me that it was going to be perfect and sent me on my way. I picked Nat up and she was stunning. My heart started beating 100 miles per hr.
We went to our date destination, and honestly, it was all a blur. We got to the spot and guess what.... it started pouring. Fortunately, it was a blessing in disguise. I was able to calm my nerves, and everybody there had to go to shelter. Every time Nat and I had to go outside, it stopped raining. The proposal went smoothly and the joy on Nat's face was priceless. It would not have been possible without the continued support of our friends and family. Afterwards, we all surprised Nat with an engagement party at home. It rained again and a rainbow appeared over Nat's house.
TODAY
We have been so blessed by all the love and support we've received over the past 4 years. We only have God to thank for the relationship and community we've built (and absolutely love!). We have loved learning, growing, and "adventuring" together and couldn't imagine our lives without one another. We could not be more grateful to have found each other so early in life and can't wait for many more years to come.
