Our Story

We met 4 different times in our first week at the University of Virginia...

We became fast friends when our paths crossed so many times in our first week at college. We met the first day of class in our first year seminar course, "Awakening Your Creative Potential"--it was Natalie's first choice for a seminar and Kemper's last choice. We met again the next day at first year small group at the Wesley Foundation, the Methodist campus ministry that would became our home away from home throughout college. Natalie made a great second impression when she sobbed (not prettily or delicately) in this first small group about how homesick she was. Kemper didn't judge her too much. We met again at Swing Club the next night. Natalie went for her love of all things dancing and Kemper for his love of fun and big brass. The world kept getting smaller as they discovered that Natalie's then new dorm mates (and now bestest of friends) had grown up with Kemper in Roanoke, Virginia. By this point, Natalie had of course told her mom all about this Kemper fellow, who quickly became known as, "Kemper, he's so nice" for the reoccurring phrase she used each time he came up in conversation.

We became close friends, then best friends...

After that first week of school, we continued to become close friends through class, swing dancing, the Wesley Foundation, and mutual friends. Each week, we would walk back to our dorms from the Wesley Foundation and stop at the set of stairs where we needed to go opposite directions and talk..and talk...and keep talking. We started calling this weekly time our "stair chats." Whether we were on a trip with the Wesley Foundation, talking by the stairs, thrifting, playing music, or grabbing breakfast in the dining hall we were smiling ear to ear or full out belly laughing.

The rest is history...

We started dating the summer after our second year in college. Most of our friends said "FINALLY"! On July 8, 2011, we went to Devil's Backbone in Nelson County, VA for our first date. We were kicked out when the restaurant closed and we were still talking. Kemper was too nervous to eat his bratwurst. Natalie is never too nervous to eat. Ever. Our "2nd date" was technically at Natalie's family's house on Lake Gaston, where Kemper needed to prove he could wakeboard. And the next week we had our "3rd date" at Kemper's family's place on Smith Mountain Lake, where Natalie needed to prove she could ski and be thrown off a jetski. We both passed. We've been partners in crime, fun, love, and life ever since.

A pirate proposal...

The Ropers have a (quirky) Thanksgiving tradition of having an annual murder mystery party the Friday after Thanksgiving. Each year there is a different theme. This year the theme was pirates and Natalie was in for a surprise alternate ending! Kemper, in character as pirate "Thumbless Jack," declared he had lost his lucky doubloon. While Natalie, the Governor's daughter "Antonia," was cluelessly helping look for this lost coin (after for awhile thinking what in the world is a doubloon) she was shocked to see "Thumbless Jack" down on one knee. Through all the screaming, squealing, and crying, there was an excited "yes!" After countless garage theatre productions, show choir performance, and dance recitals for Natalie, it seemed quite fitting to start this wonderful new chapter in costume, too.