Love Story: Krista and Philip

Every week, thousands of couples say "I do," and each one of them has their own unique love story. Some are funny, while others will bring a tear to your eye. Aisledash.com has found the most romantic love stories of recent brides and grooms and will share their experiences with you each week. If you are engaged and want to share your love story, e-mail your name, wedding date and a brief summary of how you met and got engaged to ideas@aisledash.com.

When Philip Dial interviewed for a job in marketing at an online insurance company in Franklin, Tennessee, he briefly met Krista Farmer, who does public relations and communications for the company. "I've GOT to get this job," he decided after meeting Krista. And he did.

They became friends at the office, with Krista telling Philip about her various disaster dates, and Philip stopping by her desk whenever he could to make her laugh. The two got along so well, they started eating lunch together every day, and both began bringing their lunches from home to save money. Krista had no idea Philip had been enamored with her from the beginning, and no idea he was falling in love with her as he got to know her -- in fact, he didn't date anyone during that time, he was thinking too much about Krista.

She had very strict ideas about staying professional at work and about not dating coworkers. Generally, she liked to keep her private life and feelings private. So she surprised even herself when, several months later, she found herself going on a first date with Philip.

Earlier that day, another coworker approached Krista and said, "I heard you and Philip are going to a concert tonight ... Is it a date?" Krista responded that she didn't know. The coworker said that she thought Philip would probably like it to be a date, so Krista replied, "Well, it's a date, then." The coworker went back to Philip and let him know that he was, in fact, going on a date with his dream girl. So Philip visited Krista at her desk and said with a shy smile, "I hear we're going on a date."

It turned out to be the best date ever, but at the end of the evening, Krista was afraid to cross any more lines, so she shook his hand. By their third date, they finally kissed and "it was fireworks," she says. They tried to keep the romance a secret at work, but that was hopeless in a small office in a small town in the South.

The two cofounders of the company each called the lovebirds into their offices, with very different results. One of their bosses congratulated them heartily. The other wanted them to sign a waiver releasing the company from any legal responsibility if the relationship didn't work out. (The new couple politely declined to sign anything.)

Franklin, where they live and work, is about ten miles south of Nashville. During the recent flood in Nashville and the surrounding areas, homes as close as two blocks away from Krista and Philip's home were flooded and uninhabitable. In the midst of wedding planning, Krista heard from other brides whose families had flown in from everywhere and who needed new venues to go ahead with their weddings despite the tragedy. Krista refocused on the real reason she and Philip were getting married and let go of ideas she had about the "perfect wedding."

Krista's wedding could be perfect, though. She writes a blog called "Becoming Mrs. Dial," where you can read about her experiences. On it, she recommends a book that takes a feminist look at the historical role of women in marriage, titled The Meaning of Wife, and she links to other brides' blogs she found helpful, including one called the Two-Thousand-Dollar Wedding. One of the most interesting links is about how to buy a unique artist-made brooch bouquet by floral designer Amanda Heer.

Commissioning a brooch bouquet from Amanda was Krista's most exciting purchase for the wedding. "It's my first real grown-up art purchase," she says. Following the artist's instructions, Krista contacted dozens of friends and family members, asking for antique or unusual brooches, earrings and necklaces to be part of her bouquet. She received more than 130 pieces and the result is stunning.

That wasn't the only creative aspect of their ceremony. Krista and Philip's church is housed in a historic complex called The Factory, which has exposed brick walls, wooden beams and is decorated with wrought-iron candelabras. They had a "hand ceremony," which included the best man and maid of honor reading passages like "These are the hands that will hold your newborn child" to the bride and groom. And finally, rather than a traditional seating arrangement, they were completely encircled by more than a hundred friends, family members and coworkers celebrating their commitment.

The more pessimistic of their two bosses now proudly claims credit for the couple's marriage, and happily joined the circle at the wedding.

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Read more Love Stories:

• College Sweethearts: Adrienne & Charles


• Love Heals All Wounds: Dawn & Maurice


• She Danced Into His Heart: Jessy & Marc


• A Love of Football and Pita Brought Them Together: Beth & Graham

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Courtesy of Red Room

Louise Shaffer, a successful television actress since she was fifteen (including winning a Daytime Emmy for her work on Ryan's Hope), found herself unemployed when she was in her mid-forties. The reason was...well, she was an actress in her mid-forties. She then returned to her childhood dream of writing. Her breakthrough novel The Three Miss Margarets was published by Random House in 2004-and was quickly followed by five more novels. Her latest novel is Looking for a Love Story. Louise lives in the lower Hudson Valley with her husband of twenty-eight years, her eight cats, and two rescue dogs. For more insights on life and love, read her blog on Red Room.