Photo by Josie Brooks Photography.
“We knew fairly early that we would be spending the rest of our lives together,” Norm Ofstead says of his husband Nick Nelson. “We just didn’t know who would be the one to propose first.”
Nick and Norm met through a dating app called Chappy. After talking on the app for a week, they got dinner at Earl’s, where they talked for hours about their lives and interests, realizing how much they had in common.
“It was pretty clear that there was instant chemistry,” Norm says. “After that first date we have not gone a single day without talking.”
It was Norm that first proposed to Nick in August 2019. In 2018, the couple had started the eight-month process of building their first home. Norm knew that he wanted to propose to Nick in their new home on the day of closing.
The building manager hid the ring in one of the kitchen drawers on the couple’s final walkthrough of the home. A few hours later, when they had the keys to their home and were showing their friend Cavel around, Norm asked Nick to put something in that drawer. When Nick opened the drawer, he found the ring box sitting there.
“Nick gasped and said, ‘Oh babe! Our builders left us a gif… wait…’ I’m pretty sure he understood at that point that it wasn’t a gift from our home builders,” Norm says. “I took the box from Nick’s hand, led him to the center of the living area, got down on one knee and asked Nick to spend the rest of his life with me. Clearly, he said yes!”
The proposal made Nick feel so special that he decided he wanted to turn the surprise back on Norm and propose to him too.
Nick had planned to propose to Norm while on a trip to Paris for their second anniversary. Unfortunately, their trip had to be cut short due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five months later, Nick decided he would propose at Disney’s Riviera Resort. After setting up a room at the resort, Nick suggested to Norm that they get something to eat at Disney Springs. On the way there, he suggested checking out the Riviera Resort to see what it looks like.
“So we went up to the seventh floor, walked down the hallway and opened up the door to our room with balloons, champagne and the ring inside,” Nick says. “He was so surprised he cried. We then went to Epcot and celebrated and drank around the world.”
The couple married on Feb. 5, 2021 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Both Nick and Norm’s favorite moment of the day was when Norm’s mother surprised them by attending the wedding.
Ever since Norm proposed to Nick, Norm’s parents had said they would not support the wedding. But after the couple’s First Look in a private room at their venue, Norm’s mother walked in. Norm’s brother and sister had planned the surprise.
“Obviously, I was in tears throughout the entire mother/son dance,” Norm says. “On a side note, my dad called me after the ceremony and wished Nick and I all the best That really meant a lot to me.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been as emotional as I was witnessing those moments with Norm and his mom,” Nick said.
Fun moments like walking with their dogs down the aisle and choreographing their first dance made their wedding all the more special.
“I wanted to walk out first so that I could watch Norm ‘walk down the aisle’ – which was actually a set of stairs,” Nick said. “But I’ll never forget watching the man that was about to be my future husband walk down that staircase.”
Engagement Date: Aug. 7, 2019
Wedding Date: Feb. 5, 2021
Officiant: Alex Ramon (one of Norm’s best friends)
Venue: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Colors: Navy and Grey
Wedding Song/Artist: Our ceremony entrance song was “You Are The Reason” by Calum Scott, and our first dance was a mashup of two songs: “This Moment Now” by Tyrone Wells and then, after a record scratch, a surprise choreographed finale to Ben Platt’s “Share Your Address.”
Florist: We created our own centerpieces and ordered our boutonnières from Etsy
Caterer: Dr Phillips Center Catering
Cake Flavors: Spiced Banana, Blueberry Lemonade and Peach Bellini (three-tier cake); German Chocolate cupcakes
Bakery: Sweet Miss V’s
Photographer/Videographer: Josie Brooks Photography (photographer) ByDesign Films (cinematographer)
DJ/Entertainment: DJ Scott King (Event Concepts)
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