It All Ads Up
By Kristen Hoverman
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It was simply an equation of two people adding up to one perfect couple when high school sweethearts Danielle Renee Blimling and Raymond Ross Phillips said "I do" on May 19, 2007.
"It felt weird," Danielle says of calling Ross her husband after seven years of dating. "We had been dating for so long it took a while to get used to it."
The Visalia couple first met in high school while in a math class together.
"I thought he had the prettiest blue eyes," Danielle says.
However, getting those blue eyes to look in her direction was a bit of a challenge, she admits, because he was so shy.
"He really didn't pay any attention to me," she says. "It took a lot of work for me to get his attention and go out on a date with me."
When Ross finally did start to pay attention to Danielle, he says he was captivated by her beautiful smile.
The couple was eventually formally introduced by a friend of Danielle's, and it was during Danielle's junior year and Ross' senior year they finally had their first date.
"We went to the movies with another couple and I think we went to Jack In The Box afterwards," Danielle says with a laugh. "The typical high school date."
Ross remembers many things about their first date, but one memory stands out.
"I asked her to kiss me on the first date and she didn't," Ross says.
Though it wasn't the most romantic of dates, something sparked between them that first night out together, and after about six months of dating, Ross and Danielle officially became a couple.
"I wanted to marry her from the beginning," Ross says.
However, he wanted everything to be perfect when he proposed. By 2005, the couple had chosen rings, but the big surprise was when and where the proposal would take place.
Ross found the perfect moment to propose in March 2005. His grandparents were renewing their vows for their 50th anniversary and about 200 family members and friends were gathered at the Lamp Liter Inn in Visalia for the anniversary party.
"I took the mic from the DJ, told my grandparents to stand up and said, 'Danielle, will you marry me,' " Ross says. "I was nervous. I knew she was going to say yes, but I was afraid of all the people."
Danielle responded in a whisper, but, making sure everyone could hear her response, he told her to say it again.
"He actually had to put the mic to my mouth," Danielle says. "I was speechless. It was quite a surprise because Ross is quite shy. It's not something he would typically do."
However, despite her lack of words, she had no doubts about marrying Ross and didn't hesitate to say yes again.
"He's everything," Danielle says. "He's my best friend. He's my faithful companion. He's the one I love. He's just everything to me."
After months of planning, The White Horse Inn in Three Rivers became the ideal location for Danielle and Ross to have their fairy-tale wedding. The spectacular landscape of ponds, waterfalls, streams and a large deck overlooking the river complemented Ross' love of the outdoors and Danielle's love of bright colors.
"It was springtime and I just wanted it to be very vibrant and bright and cheery," Danielle says.
Flashes of hot pink from the bridesmaids dresses and pops of bright yellow, orange, pink and purple from the flower arrangements matched the newly planted flower beds along the river terrace.
The wedding began at 4:30 p.m. on a warm May evening in the Sierra foothills. All eyes were on Ross in his traditional black tuxedo paired with a diamond-white vest until Danielle in her simple but elegant diamond-white taffeta gown came into view.
"I felt like passing out," Ross says. "My knees were shaking."
He says everyone was looking at him, however, "when I saw her walking down the aisle the pressure was off."
A mixture of candlelight, lamp light and a canopy of twinkle lights in the trees guided Danielle down the aisle as "Canon in D" played in the background.
"Walking down the aisle, all the planning and waiting seven years to get married - it was finally happening," Danielle says. "We were making that commitment to each other for the rest of our lives."
"Everything was just so beautiful and perfect," she says.
Now that the wedding is behind them, Danielle and Ross are building their lives together. Ross, who travels weekly for work, says he is excited to come home to Danielle, because "it's like seeing her again for the first time."
"If I could I'd go back and do the wedding all over again just to have that feeling," Ross adds. "My wife, she's a princess, and she'll always be a princess in my eyes."