Names: Joe and Annie Thomas Ages: 23 and 23
Occupations: He’s an offensive lineman (and 2007 first-round draft pick) for the Cleveland Browns; she’s an assistant coach for the Cleveland State University Vikings women’s basketball team.
Location: Madison, Wis.
How was the weather? 93 degrees. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, says Joe.
Planning: The popular 7/7/07 wedding date was selected to accommodate Joe’s schedule — a week after the NFL rookie symposium, two weeks before they moved to Cleveland and Joe went to training camp — not out of superstition.
Guests: About 350
Wedding dress: a strapless taffeta gown with Swarovski crystal-and-pearl beading, sweetheart neckline, lace-up back and tiny covered buttons all the way down the train.
Special touch: A chocolate groom’s cake topped with two edible photographic images of the newlyweds on fishing trips (Joe is an avid hunter and fisherman).
How was the weather? 93 degrees. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, says Joe.
Planning: The popular 7/7/07 wedding date was selected to accommodate Joe’s schedule — a week after the NFL rookie symposium, two weeks before they moved to Cleveland and Joe went to training camp — not out of superstition.
Guests: About 350
Wedding dress: a strapless taffeta gown with Swarovski crystal-and-pearl beading, sweetheart neckline, lace-up back and tiny covered buttons all the way down the train.
Special touch: A chocolate groom’s cake topped with two edible photographic images of the newlyweds on fishing trips (Joe is an avid hunter and fisherman).
How they met: At the University of Wisconsin. Annie and Joe first ran into each other in the football training room when she came in to have an ankle taped. (Annie played on the women’s basketball team.) They got to know each other better at a cookout that Joe and his roommate hosted for fellow athletes.
His first impression of her: “She was beautiful.”
His first impression of her: “She was beautiful.”
Her first impression of him: “He was huge.”
Proposal: Dec. 6, 2006. Joe popped the question the night before he received the Outland Trophy, on a lakeside pier at The Boardwalk Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The trophy is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football.
The ring: Three round-cut diamonds in a trellis setting
Favorite things to do together: “Just sitting down on the couch and talking,” Annie says. “Both of our schedules are very hectic.”
Proposal: Dec. 6, 2006. Joe popped the question the night before he received the Outland Trophy, on a lakeside pier at The Boardwalk Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The trophy is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football.
The ring: Three round-cut diamonds in a trellis setting
Favorite things to do together: “Just sitting down on the couch and talking,” Annie says. “Both of our schedules are very hectic.”
