Josh drove to Charleston from Greenville to take me out for dinner at Halls Chophouse. I was beyond nervous, as we had yet to officially meet each other in person, so like me I scurried away to finish getting ready and left all the get-to-know-you details to my friends Natalie and Katherine. After easing our collective nerves over a cocktail at the house, Josh and I walked to the restaurant. Josh let me pick out a bottle on the menu to share - clearly he already knew wine was the way to my heart. As the dinner went on, we grew much more comfortable in our conversation and even decided to change into more casual clothes for the remainder of the evening. The plan was to walk around at the Battery following dessert, but it was a little too dark and creepy so Josh asked me if I'd like to go for a walk at Folly beach. *Enter the place that would soon be the home to so many unforgettable, joyful memories with each other, friends, and family* We parked the car, kicked off our shoes, and strolled onto the beach. A perfect evening, with a bright full moon, it was almost too good to be true. After walking for a bit, we sat down to take in the sea breeze and look out onto the moon-lit horizon. I leaned my head on Josh's shoulder and thought about how insane it was that I was sitting on the vacant beach with a near stranger. Somehow I felt so comfortable and at ease. Josh looked at me and I looked up at him before we shared our first kiss. It was M A G I C. Of course, the weekend couldn't end there. Josh decided to stay at a nearby hotel so that we could share another day in Charleston together. That following day I found out that Josh does not like coffee and he really, really likes ice cream - specifically, Jeni's Ice Cream.

Josh had told me for months that our close friends Brian and Amy were coming to Charleston and staying at a beach house on Folly. He told me, "they want to take us out to have a nice dinner at Halls on Friday, but before we go we'll have a cocktail at the Folly beach house together." On the way out to the beach, Brian called and told Josh and I that he had gotten caught up and that we'd probably arrive before he and Amy. Our instructions were to go through the back of the house as it was unlocked, so Josh and I took to the boardwalk and onto the beach. It was a perfect evening, so Josh took me by the hand out closer to the water. As we stood looking out onto the horizon, Josh looked at me and said "How mad would you be if Brian and Amy aren't actually in Charleston?" Before I could begin to understand where he was going with this, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful way he could've proposed and I'll never forget the joy in my heart that day when I wrapped my arms around his neck and said "YES!!!!" After the proposal, Josh and I went up to the aforementioned beach house which he had rented for us to stay in over the weekend. I stood in awe of this place and the romantic details put together by the greatest future father-in-law, Dave Dryden. He had made us one of his beautiful cakes, adorned with flowers and seashells as well as prepared us a delicious lobster mac n' cheese dinner. Paired with dinner and the rest of our dreamy weekend, Josh picked out some of my all time favorite wines for us to enjoy. The only thing left to complete this starstruck weekend was a surprise engagement party with our closest friends at the Post House Inn located in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant. Our friends decorated the tables with pictures of Josh and I creating the perfect environment to reminisce on all the special memories we've made together. I still get butterflies when I think back to these moments. We have been blessed with the best people in our lives!