Real Vegas Love Story: Heather and Chris

When a couple has been together as long as Heather and Chris have, it’s all smiles and laughter.

“If he’s not sick of my chaos now, then we’re doing something right,” Heather laughs.

That “chaos” includes a love story built upon years of friendship that turned into something more.

Heather and Chris: Grade School Destiny

Heather and Chris have known each other since they were both in sixth grade. Chris has a twin sister, who has been Heather’s best friend since she was 12 years old, meaning that the couple essentially grew up together. It wasn’t until after high school that Heather and Chris started to fall for each other. 

“As we got out of high school, that’s when I started to really notice her, and I think she started to notice me,” Chris recalls.

After dating for four years, Heather got pregnant, and a proposal was on the horizon. While happy ones, the circumstances were unexpected.

“Never did I ever think this was going to be,” says Heather of their union. “This wasn’t in our cards.”

Through it all, the proposal and subsequent wedding were contingent upon one very important detail.

“I said that ‘if the saints win the Super Bowl and I’m going to marry you,’ and they ended up winning. So try to be a man of my words,” Chris says.

The Saint won Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, and Chris proposed to Heather that same year.

A Marriage Meant To Be

The couple wed at the Las Vegas Country Club, a famous locale with indoor and outdoor wedding options. Chris had his groomsman wear black tuxedos in “Rat Pack-ish” fashion, according to him. Their four-year-old son was also present at the wedding, but soon migrated over to a table full of candy, toys and other distractions with the other children present at the wedding.

It was a day worthy of celebration, where “hummingbirds joined us while we walked down the aisle,” Heather remembers.

Ultimately, the couple says that tying the knot in their own time was best for them.

“We didn’t really rush into a wedding. It was non-traditional,” says Heather. 

Decades of Love

After 13 years of marriage and 21 years of being together, Heather reflects that each phase of life brings its new adventures.

“We’ve grown up together and made mistakes together,” Heather says. “Unconditional love and forgiveness, and being friends, really brings it all back. You know, liking each other.”

Of course, one of the highlights of their marriage is their children. Their son is now 17 years old, a point of pride for the pair.

“We’ve raised very good [kids], kind and sweet. That’s all you can do is hope to raise good kids and then move on,” says Heather.

Life keeps moving after having children, and their track record of togetherness will guide them into the next stage of parenthood and beyond.

“Now we’ll have our whole lives ahead of us, hopefully to start all over,” Heather says.