During my Junior year of college, I lived with Mary Jo, who was dating Tyler. Tyler, also Connor's fraternity brother and roommate, along with Mary Jo, tried to set me up with one of Tyler's friends. Initially, they said Connor would not be interested in me , given his reputation as a very platonic person. We briefly met at a charity event for ESP, the summer camp where we eventually worked together. Although Connor left a big impression on me, it wasn’t the kind that would ignite a romantic spark. A few months later, Tyler encouraged Connor to invite me to one of their fraternity's date nights. Excited to spend time with Mary Jo, I didn't anticipate a connection with Connor, thinking he wasn't seeking a relationship. Surprisingly, our date night turned into one of my favorite nights ever. Conversations about Spider-Man and the show "Arthur" on the bus sparked laughter and dialogue, making the night memorable. In the following months, we formed a strong friendship, deepening our connection during our time on the summer camp staff at ESP. Discovering Connor's outgoing and humorous personality, along with his kind and genuine spirit, I fell in love. Witnessing how he treated individuals with different abilities, friends, and family, I couldn't resist wanting to date him. After meeting his family and spending a lake weekend together for his birthday, I gave Connor permission to ask me to be his girlfriend. Sharing a birthday and anniversary became a joyous occasion for him, as he knew I was the best gift of all time (; From there, it was history. Our lives together have been beautiful, filled with the best memories alongside friends and family. If dating and engagement have been this amazing, I can't wait for the real deal! I am grateful to be marrying someone who always makes me laugh until my stomach hurts, encourages me to be the woman God has called me to be, finds joy even in the mundane things, and supports me on the hard and good days. Connor makes the best parts of me shine, and that is all I could ever want for in a partner. Thank you all for listening to our story; we are thrilled to celebrate with each one of you!

I didn’t know it at the time that my life would change forever when I met Bess. I got introduced to Bess through her roommate Mary Jo, who at the time was dating my roommate Tyler. Together we all went to an event for ESP, an organization that we hold very near and dear to our hearts. At that event I remember passingly saying to my friend Matt that “Mary Jo’s friend is cute,” with no further thought at the time. I had no idea that I was describing my future wife for the first time. Let’s just say the rest of my extended first impression with Bess left me nervous to meet her again and it wasn’t until Tyler convinced me to take her on one of our fraternity date nights that I truly got to know her. Her beauty was evident from first laying eyes on her and her incredible personality was truly captivating. We spent our first evening together, talking about silly things like Spider-Man and Mr. Ratburn, truly important social topics at the time, and I realized by the end of the night that this was a woman unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I felt so comfortable around Bess. I could just be myself without feeling any anxiety or judgement. She was incredibly kind, thoughtful, and she was always engaged with whoever she was talking to, and to top it all off everything she would say would make me laugh. We talked the whole night, and I left that evening knowing that I wanted to see more of her.

Eventually, a few months passed of a few texts, FaceTimes, and one trip to Milledgeville and I graduated from UGA and the summer began. It was at this time that I started to see more of Bess every single day while we worked at ESP summer camp. Even though we worked in different units, I can confess now that I would admire her while she worked. She had such a joy for life. She made everyone around her brighter. It seemed to me that everyone who met her was drawn to her and loved her and I was no different. She got along seamlessly with my closest friends and I got so comfortable with her that I invited her to a Fourth of July weekend at the lake to meet my parents along with my best friends’ families. During that weekend Bess finally asked me to ask her to officially be her boyfriend, on my birthday, and my birthday has been one of my favorite days ever since. After a whirlwind summer of falling in love, we quickly began the process of creating a life together. Weeks dating turned into months, then years, and by the time we will be married we will have been together for 5.5 years with it still feeling like we’ve been dating for a couple weeks. In the 5.5 years we’ve lived states apart with Bess completing her internship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while I was completing my nursing degree in Augusta. The time apart didn’t matter to us, neither of us wavered in our commitment to each other and we both knew above all else we were happiest when we were together. We have since settled into living in the same state. When Bess moved into her house in Fairburn and I moved in with my brother in Marietta we finally were within an hour of each other and I can’t wait to get even closer. I am so thankful to have been able to spend more time with Bess’ neighbors/parents and they’ve truly become family to me. My family has always been in love with Bess since meeting her all those years ago on Fourth of July weekend, and they can’t wait for a new sister and daughter to officially call family. Over the last few years Bess and I have been blessed to grow in our careers, our relationship, and our faith. We have created too many memories to count, and we have been supported and surrounded by some truly incredible people. We love to have fun together and we have been delighted to celebrate so many close friends hitting substantial life milestones including marriage and children! And through every celebration there was a lot of happiness and after Bess caught 3 consecutive bouquets at weddings naturally the question often came about when Bess and I were going to take the next step and get married. Through the support of Bess’s parents, my parents, and our friend Anna, I think I surprised everyone when I finally proposed in June of 2023. It’s been a long road to get here and although we have been enjoying being engaged we are so incredibly excited to officially begin our lives together. I have been so thankful to have Bess by my side, she’s my best friend and she’s made me a better man. Life has been so beautiful with Bess in it and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her. We are so excited to celebrate with each and every one of you. Thank you for your support and if you actually read all of this I’m genuinely impressed. I love you for keeps forever Bess!