As a senior in high school, she wasn't so sure at first about having a boyfriend who stood nearly a foot and a half taller than her.

But theirs was truly a case of opposites attracting — not only in terms of stature but also in the way his laid-back, go-with-the-flow personality balanced her penchant for planning and perfection. Thus it's no surprise that this relationship that began on a bus ride back from a football game graduated with them into adulthood. And now, nearly eight years later, Jennifer Rosebaugh and Casey Smith are ready to take the natural next step into marriage.

But as long a span of time as eight years may sound, their story actually goes back much further — all the way to kindergarten, in fact. Casey recalls Jennifer “dating” a good friend of his during elementary school (which at the time mainly consisted of them sitting together at lunch). 

As time went on, dating took different forms — but not for Jennifer and Casey, who remained just friends for most of their school years. Their earliest photo together ended up being a great representation of this, as it captured them as sophomores who’d both gone to prom — although, of course, with other dates.

Still, “I always liked her,” Casey says.

Finally, during their senior year at Silver Lake High School, all their years of casual friendship turned into something closer when they were paired as candidates for homecoming king and queen. Then, on October 8, 2010, they officially became a couple when Casey popped the question on that bus ride back from a football game.

Of course, it would be a number of years before he popped *the* question — the one that took them from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband- and wife-to-be. By then, they’d gone through five years of college together, both graduating from Washburn University in 2016. They’d also bought a house together, and Casey was beginning to get a little good-natured harassment as to why he hadn’t yet proposed.

Jennifer + Casey

high-school sweethearts commit for the long haul 

By Erin Wisdom-Watson

"I think we knew pretty early on that we'd always be together."

But with Jennifer completing one more year of school for a master’s degree, he didn’t want to put to much on their plate by adding wedding-planning to the mix prematurely. And knowing how much she loved Christmastime, it seemed an obvious choice to ask her to marry him during the 2017 Christmas season.

It also seemed obvious to Jennifer — at least that *something* was up — when Casey took an unusual interest in her wardrobe for their annual trip to a Christmas tree farm. It was November 24 — the day after Thanksgiving — and given that she’d planned to stay in the T-shirt and leggings she’d worn home from her grandmother’s, Casey’s suggestion of a nice dress and formal shoes came as a stark contrast.

“I didn’t know what he was going to do, but it wasn’t just cut down a Christmas tree,” she says. 

Casey threw her off his tracks a little by slipping the ring in his shirt pocket sans box, thus avoiding a telltale bulge. But he couldn’t keep his nervousness entirely under wraps. And when the farm employee enlisted to photograph the proposal took a couple posed shots, then asked if there was anything else, Jennifer officially knew what was coming.

But this didn’t lessen her excitement, and finally, they were able to tell friends and family they were fiancés. Afterward, picking a wedding date proved to be pretty easy, as they aimed for one as close as possible to their dating anniversary and thus chose October 6, 2018 as the day they’ll say their “I dos.”

They’re planning an outdoor wedding at the home of Casey’s mother, with a look that’s both rustic and romantic. They then hope to begin their married life with a honeymoon that takes them out of the country. And afterward — at some point down the road — they also hope to buy land, build a house and have children together.

But even before those longterm dreams come true, they know they have a lot to be thankful for in what they have with each other.

For Casey, this includes Jennifer’s smile and laugh — and for Jennifer, this includes Casey’s ability to make her laugh. They also enjoy playing golf and turkey hunting together, assistant coaching Casey’s little sister’s basketball team and caring for their Siberian husky, Doug.

And when they look back, although their relationship began so long ago, it’s not surprising to either of them that they’re marrying their high-school sweetheart.

“He’s my best friend,” Jennifer says. “I think we knew pretty early on that we’d always be together.”

"I think we knew pretty early on
that we'd always be together."