“Ava come around the corner — a very respectful little girl — she come up and asked if she could play with the cows, if she could pet them and whatnot,” Andy said. “I wound up untying them and letting her walk it and sit on it, playing with the cow.”
Trailing behind Ava as she came around the corner was her mom, Sarah.
Sarah and Ava met Andy again later that day in the goat barn, where Andy let Ava play with his kids’ goats in their pen. By the time the day ended, Sarah and Andy had exchanged numbers so Ava could play with the goats and cows more whenever she wanted.
This past Sunday, Sarah and Andy met once more outside the cattle barn, Ava in tow, as they said “I do” in a wedding ceremony. It was four years to the day since Ava introduced the pair.
For Sarah, the kindness Andy showed to Ava was a big part of why she fell in love.
“It absolutely melted my heart ... He took the time to teach her and show her how to do something,” Sarah said. “Right then and there I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a genuine person.’”
Credit: Contributed by Sarah Cope
Credit: Contributed by Sarah Cope
A few weeks after they met, Sarah remembers talking with Andy about getting married. She jokingly suggested having a wedding at the fair where they met. When Andy proposed last year and when they saw that 2023 fair would fall on their anniversary of meeting, that conversation became a reality.
“On the wedding day, (I felt) a strong sense of ease, like something was right,” Sarah said.
Andy teared up when Sarah came out with Ava.
“Seeing Sarah in her wedding dress for the first time, I was kind of speechless, and then I got real shaky,” Andy said. “I was nervous but excited all at the same time.”
Now that they’re a married couple, Sarah said she’s looking forward to building a life together in Butler County. The pair is planning to build a home on a small farm, and Sarah is excited for when Ava is old enough to participate in the fair herself.
“I know she wants a cow,” Sarah said. “We’re working towards it.”
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