Everyone loves a good love story. Especially the part about how they met.

It’s more tales of love, told right from the start!

How Huntsville Couples Met

Get to know the new Downtown Huntsville, Inc. CEO and his wife. Find out which couple has never been apart. See who owes it all to a successful matchmaker. Discover which couple had a chance encounter at the Smithsonian. And read all about one couple who won out with the highest bid!

Chad and Betsy Emerson

How they met: (As told by Chad) As first dates go, ours was certainly memorable – in an entirely unexpected way. While in law school, I clerked for a local attorney who happened to have a great home near the Tennessee River as well as a wave runner. One weekend I was asked to house-sit for him and welcomed to use the the wave runner during the weekend. This sounded like a great first date opportunity for this young lady I had recently met at a college student bible study. Fortunately, Betsy said yes, and we were off to the river and some wave runner fun.

Unfortunately, just as we were getting started, I accidentally turned too quickly causing Betsy to fly off the wave runner into the river. Now, that alone should be enough to imperil a first date, but I wasn’t finished messing up as I turned the wave runner to pick her up out of the river… and ended up side-swiping her head with the watercraft. Luckily, it was just a glancing blow, and she was physically fine. Best of all, Betsy took it in great stride with undeserved grace toward me. Needless to say, the second date could only get better… and it certainly did! That said, just to be safe, 15 plus years later, we haven’t been back on a wave runner together.

About the Emersons: Chad Emerson is the CEO of Downtown Huntsville, Inc. He and Betsy have four children, Owen, Dawson, Cullen, and Addison and are adopting a fifth child, their daughter Sifen, from Ethiopia. They moved to Huntsville last August after ten years in Montgomery.

Ashley and Andy Vaughn

How they met: (As told by Ashley) I first met Andy at a mutual friend’s house here in Huntsville. I actually heard his laugh before I saw his face, and something just “clicked” inside…and I knew I had to meet that person with the infectious chuckle. We started with small talk, which led to a phone number exchange, and then promptly hanging out the next day. We continued to see each other every day and quickly formed a friendship.

As cliche as it always sounds, it was definitely love at first sight. In fact, we have been around each other every single day since the day we met – which is now almost 10 years ago. We were married in May of 2006, and shortly thereafter, started restoring a 100+ year old house in Five Points. Andy and I thrive off each others creativity, drive, and compassion! It’s an honor to share the world with my best friend and soul mate!

About the Vaughns: With a love of all things retro and analog, the Vaughn’s opened up a record shop called Vertical House Records, which operates at Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment. Ashley is also a film photographer who specializes in weddings and lifestyle imagery under the name White Rabbit Studios.

John and Julie Malone

How they met: (As told by John) It was the spring of 1988 and both of us were comfortable and enjoying life. Certainly not seeking a relationship. I was hosting the morning show at WRSA (in the pre-Lite 96.9 days) and Julie owned a popular ladies’ boutique on Madison Street called “Juliann’s.” I was the voice of Julie’s radio commercials but we had never met. Julie’s WRSA account representative thought we would make a good couple so she insisted we get together.

After a misfire or two (John insists that Julie stood him up on St. Patrick’s Day), we met after work one day for a glass of wine at Julie’s office. It went so well that Julie invited me and our matchmaker to her apartment where she prepared an impromptu dinner. About a week later, I asked Julie to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Ol’ Heidelberg, which sealed the deal. Things moved quickly. We became engaged in Gatlinburg that summer and were married in December.

About the Malones: Julie Malone is self-employed as a Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser.  John is Vice President and General Manager of Lite 96.9 WRSA.  They have three children;  Jack, a junior studying accounting at the University of Alabama, Mandy Kate, a junior at Huntsville High School and Jacob, who is a sophomore at Huntsville High.

Julie and Robert Lockwood

How they met: (As told by Julie) Robert and I were enrolled at Birmingham-Southern College, which is a relatively small school, so we were generally acquainted with each other. But, we never really knew each other until January of 1991. We both were hired for internships in Washington, D.C. and had a chance encounter at the Smithsonian Museum at the beginning of the month. Being far from home and with few friends, we agreed to go to lunch, but neither one of us had romantic aspirations at the time. We never had a “date” in Washington, but enjoyed each others company over several lunches together.

When we returned to Birmingham-Southern, Robert asked me out on an official date. Thereafter, the professor who arranged our internships observed that we were afflicted with “Potomac Fever.” Two years later, we were married. If we did not intern in Washington, or go to the same museum on the same day, we might never have fallen in love.

About the Lockwoods: Robert and Julie have lived in Huntsville since 1995. Julie sells real estate with her family firm, Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Properties, Inc. Robert is an attorney and shareholder with his law firm, Wilmer and Lee PA. They have 2 boys and have been happily married for 20 years.

 

Lauren and Drew Battle

How they met: (As told by Lauren) We actually met at Mickey’s nightclub downtown while out with friends and then ended up having our first date about a week prior to the Bachelor Auction benefiting the National Children’s Advocacy Center. Drew had already committed to being part of the auction but did not want to take any chances on someone else winning a date with him that night.

With a little financial backing from Drew, his dad (who I had met the day of the auction at a luncheon and embarrassingly said “I’m the girl who is supposed to buy your son tonight!”), Brooks Wilbourn (who was another Bachelor that night) and some of my own money, I won my future husband with the top dollar bid of the evening.

Approximately three months later Drew proposed by having the proposal engraved on our dog Owen’s collar. We just celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary in December!

About the Battles: Drew is a Commercial Loan Officer at Servis1st Bank and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for both the Arts Council and the Associated Builders and Contractors of North Alabama. He is also an active member of the Downtown 47 and Committee of 100 YP. Lauren works as an insurance agent at the Lankford/Battle Allstate Agency. She is currently serving as the Communications VP on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Huntsville and is a member of the Land Trust YP Advisory Board as well as the Land Trust Events Committee. Lauren is also actively involved with the Women’s Council of Realtors and the Kappa Delta Alumnae association.

Need some ideas about how to wow your special someone this Valentine’s Day? OVE can help with that. 

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