Searching for Love Runaway cow leads to marriage proposal

When Lindsey Dow jumped into Dalton Dalrymple’s pick up truck to help corral a runaway cow, she had no idea how the search would end.

The couple married Oct. 7, 2017 at Dalrymple Farms on County Road 720 in Enterprise.

“This is the craziest story,” the daughter of Brian and Karen Dow of Enterprise said, laughing as she recalled how she came to be Dalton Dalrymple’s bride. “We were walking out the door headed to his family’s’ barn to what I thought was a barbecue, when his dad called and said there was a cow loose and asked if we could go round it up.

“So we hopped in the truck and rode out to the field,” she recalled. “Dalton had me with my head out the window searching for this supposedly loose cow.

“I mean, he is even telling me exactly what it looks like so I’m looking like crazy for it and he says, ‘Wait, maybe it ran up this way,’” she said. “When we started walking up a hill, I saw a stand with a white sheet hanging over it.

The son of Bret and Kim Dalrymple told his girlfriend that the acrylic painting was a combination early graduation and Easter present. “And when I took the sheet off the stand, it was a painting he did of us in the field and in it he was down on one knee.

“Well, when I turned around there he was, down on one knee,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “The painting is so breath taking. He is so talented.”

Part of what made the moment extra special to Lindsey Dalrymple was that Dalton Dalrymple proposed to her in the same field—on his family’s land—where they had their first date six months earlier.

“It made the moment really sentimental because he went through so much effort on our first date,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “He cooked a full meal—right down to the homemade ranch dressing.

“We still laugh about that ranch dressing because when he told me it was homemade I thought he got each of the spices and made it from scratch,” she explained. “But he just used a ranch dressing packet to ‘home make’ it.

“But after the first-date dinner Dalton had chairs set up in the field and we star gazed for hours and just got to know each other,” she said. “And the night turned into dancing under the stars to Tim McGraw and 90’s country music.

“I knew he was ‘the one’ because I have two older brothers who I think the world of and I’ve always said when I started dating that I wanted my future husband to have the same qualities I see in my brothers,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “And Dalton exceeds all my expectations.

“He is such a faithful person, someone who puts God first,” she added. “He is honest, respectful and he is there for me every time I need him whether it’s convenient for him or not.

“He considers me in every decision, he’s growth oriented spiritually and character-wise,” she said. “Dalton has strong morals and values and just a true Southern gentleman.”

“I had a good idea that I could see myself with her after our first date, but I definitely knew Lindsey was the one for me on our second date,” Dalton Dalrymple said. “I came back home from a duck hunting trip and stopped by her house late to pick her up.

“We went to my house and sat on the porch swing for hours and talked,” he added. “I can’t quite tell you a certain time or a specific moment that it hit me, but that night on that old front porch swing I knew without a doubt that I was going to marry her.”

Both born and raised in Enterprise, the couple first met through their mothers. “Our moms actually set us up when his mom was getting her teeth cleaned in my mom’s dental chair,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “They thought since we were both single we should be friends and just hangout together.

“What happened is that we both fell for each other on the first date,” she added with a smile.

When the engaged couple began looking for a place to be married, “none of them really just spoke to us,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “So when we began talking to our parents about venues Dalton’s mom said, ‘Let’s build one.’

“She said for years she’s dreamed of building a ‘pretty barn’ for weddings, showers or any type of parties and this was the perfect opportunity,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “Starting in July both families came together and built the ‘pretty barn’ board by board before Oct. 7.

“Even though it was hard work and long hours spent into making it our dream barn it was also a bonding experience with both families,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “And we had the best time building it together.” 

Brother Cavin Cawthon was the officiate at the wedding ceremony. He was Dalton Dalyrmple’s preacher at Mount Pleasant when he was growing up.

“About a week before the wedding we began looking at the weather radar hoping for a beautiful, sunny October sky but we ended up having Hurricane Nate headed right towards us,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “Of course we were all panicking—ordering tents and what not—but leading up to the wedding all my friends just kept saying ‘It’s not going to rain. It’s not going to rain, I promise.’

“And of course I’m doing anti-rain dances and drawing turtles in the sand trying to get it not to rain,” the bride recalled. “The days before the wedding were just beautiful but right before the ceremony began, it started just pouring down rain and everyone was running out of the rain to get under the barn.

The ceremony was delayed for about five minutes until the rain stopped. Everyone moved back into their seats and the ceremony was just about to start when another band of rain came through and again it only lasted about five minutes

“We were all saying ‘Well hopefully the third times a charm,’ and thankfully it stopped raining,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “It just seemed like the skies literally parted just for our ceremony and it was absolutely perfect. It was so stressful at the time but now we look back and laugh and laugh about it.” 

The couple honeymooned in Whitehouse, Jamaica. “And I cannot wait to go back,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “The locals there were so welcoming and friendly and it was so fun learning and experiencing their culture.”

Lindsey Dalrymple works at Southeast Alabama Autism Center as a behavioral therapist and Dalton Dalrymple is a land specialist with Tutt Land Company and also runs Hooks and Harvest t-shirt company.

“I have found the one whom my soul loves” is the Bible verse from the Song of Solomon that the couple say exemplifies their relationship.

“We live in Enterprise on family land in the country with great alarm clocks as cows in our front yard,” Lindsey Dalrymple said. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”