Preschool Sweethearts Reunited 12 Years Later And Got Married

Natalie Crowe Tatman and Austin Tatman were preschool friends and while they were best friends, Natalie lost contact of Austin at the age of 5 due to moving into a new place. Twelve years later, fate brought the two back together and they quickly hit up with each other.

Two dates were all it takes from them to realize their feelings for each other and that they were made of each other.

Seven years of relationship brought them to tying their knots for eternity as both were declared husband and wife back in April. 24 years old Austin and Natalie recreated moments from their preschool time in 1999.

“We just automatically became best friends and our parents realized it,” Natalie recalls. “It’s strange when you’re that age — you don’t usually hang out with the opposite sex. But from when we were 2 until we were 5, we were constantly together.”

“On Halloween in 1999, Austin held my hand in the car on the way to trick-or-treating. Those are little things that our parents tell us, where they knew, ‘This is insane that they’re interacting like this.’”

The two almost shared the same birthday as their mothers were told that they were due on Valentine’s Day. Austin arrived two weeks earlier while Natalie two weeks later.

Natalie and Austin admit that they didn’t have the clearest memories of their childhood times. A lot of them were fuzzy, but their parents managed to tell them a lot of stories. They also were shown a lot of pictures from their childhood moments.

“Every picture that we have — even in a group — we were together and then everyone else was on the side. I just basically have memories of always being with him, regardless of whether I remember the detail of the memory or not, I knew we were always together.”

Natalie remembered the day she had to move away and be separated from her soulmate. At that time, she didn’t know that it would be the very last time she sees Austin before being separated for 12 years long. She recalls the very last memory of Austin when she was 5.

“I remember the very last day that I saw him, not knowing that I wouldn’t see him for over a decade. My last memory of him is [when] we made Rice Krispy treats in his parents’ kitchen… and then we were separated.”

As she grows up, she would wonder how Austin is doing and where he is now. “I briefly remember when I was 8 and 10, I would ask my mom about Austin and she would say, ‘I’m sure if you remember him, he remembers you,’” says Natalie.

It wasn’t until she stumbles upon an old contact book of her mom’s. “As soon as I saw [his name and old address], I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember him.’ There was this overwhelming feeling of ‘I better go find him on Facebook before I miss out on this opportunity,’” she recalls.

They officially reunited on July 31, 2012, and almost instantly, the friendship between the two sparks again. The second date made them realize they love each other and after a year in LDR, the two went to different colleges in Florida. Austin popped the question a little over a year after graduating in August 2017.

They finally tied the knot on April 13, 2019. They held their wedding at The Mulberry in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Natalie, afterward, reminisces and wonder if anything would be different had they not been separated.

“But when I look back on it, if we hadn’t moved and I had grown up with Austin, I think it would have been a lot different…  I don’t know if we would’ve been together. It was kinda crazy how everything came together so perfectly, and it still doesn’t make sense to me to this day.”