Our Celebration of LOVE We're Getting Married!

Our love story began in 2005 Brian actually played bass guitar at my church for about a year. During that time, I was finishing up my last year in college and was busy serving in the church bookstore and assisting in audio/video. We never formally met nor had a conversation for the entire time that Brian played at the church. Brian will tell you that he noticed me and was looking for the perfect opportunity to approach me but the opportunity just never presented itself. I on the other hand, saw Brian off in the distance but never paid much attention. About a year later, Brian left the church, I graduated from college and started my career. We went in completely opposite directions. In 2007, I began working as a realtor in a new home community in N.C. and in walked Brian. When I greeted Brian, something felt so familiar. We both stared awkwardly at each other trying to figure out where the familiarity stemmed from. Then Brian asked, “Are your parents pastors?” Yes, I confirmed. "I think, I played bass at your church". "Yes, yes, I think I remember seeing you." The encounter was brief, Brian toured the model and I provided information about the community. Just like that he was gone, and I thought nothing of it. Fast forward to 2017, working in new home community in Fort Mill, S.C. One day, Brian walked into the model home. This time, he wasn’t searching for a new home. He was now the Photographer for the company that I worked for. Because it was nearly 10 years later, we again stared at each other, trying desperately to figure out why things again felt so familiar. “Yes, you played bass at my parent’s church,” somehow we landed there again. We casually inquired about one another’s families, chatted for a few mins about his new job and off he went! I began to see Brian periodically when his visited to photograph the homes, but the encounters were always brief and professional. It wasn’t until June 2021 that things ultimately changed. It was a day no different than any other. I was working with my two AMAZING sales partners: Ghada & Stacey. We were partners on paper but sisters to the core. We knew one another’s hearts, values, and desires. One day, Brian stopped by to get a key to photograph one of our homes. I was busy with a customer but managed to walk into the sales center at the same time Brian walked in. “Hi Brian”, I said as I greeted him while handing him the key. We chatted briefly with simple formalities and then he left. The moment he stepped out Ghada & Stacey said, “What about Brian?” “What about him?” I said. They both said we think Brian would be perfect for you. Then they proceeded to tell me all the reasons why they thought that we would be a perfect match. They talked about how kind and thoughtful he was. How his values paralleled with mine, how active he was in his local church and how much he valued family. I looked at them and said, “he’s so not my type” and continued working. I completely dismissed them and thought nothing of it. Then about a week later, on a Wednesday, I’ll never forget it. I decided that I was going to call Brian. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I created a silly excuse for the call… I started it off with “Oh Stacey wanted to know if you had any Charlotte Skyline pictures, she decorating her new home” and oh I’m working on my dad’s office and wanted to know if you had any ideas for canvases. I thought the conversation would last a min or two, instead it lasted over 5 hours. I fell in love with Brian that day. Everything that Ghada & Stacey said were absolutely true. All my core values, work ethics, passion for the Lord and my love for my family was echoed in him. For the first time in my life, I felt compatible, comfortable, and compassionately cared for all at the same time. We both knew after that 5-hour conversation that we had found something very special. Today we know that what we found is FOREVER and we couldn’t be more honored to share this incredible celebration with you!

It all began with my birthday weekend! My mom, dad, grammy & I vacationed at the beach in Jekyll Island SC. It's one of our favorite little getaways. It's tranquil and there’s absolutely nothing to do but relax. At the beach, we're complete beach whales: soaking up the sun, sipping on Pina Coladas and feasting on yummy food. I loved every minute of it; the only thing missing was my sweetheart, Brian. We stayed at the beach for a few days and drove back on Saturday. I was excited about returning home because Brian’s mom & dad were planning a birthday dinner for me on Sunday. I was expecting that the dinner would be small, intimate and best of all, I would see Brian. On the drive back from the beach, I began thinking about surprising Brian by visiting his church for the first time. So, I woke up early Sunday morning and told Grammy that I was going to surprise Brian. I was nervous, not sure of what to expect. I wore a bright yellow dress to service that morning and sat towards the back of the church. Brian was so excited to see me there and I was greeted by so many warm welcoming smiles. Everyone was so friendly and eager to meet me, it certainly helped to put my nerves at ease. Following service, Brian & I prepared to meet his family for what I thought was my birthday dinner. "Should I change?", I asked Brian. Typically, dinner with Brian’s family is casual with an emphasis on comfort and a table filled with amazing homecooked food. "Should I change into a pair of shorts or keep my dress on?", I asked. Whichever one you feel most comfortable in Brian replied. At the last min. I decided to keep my yellow dress on and off we went! The ride to the restaurant was typical, nothing stood out. Brian was his normal calm self with not a care in the world. We held hands and chatted as we drove to the restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was so surprised to see my dear friend Ghada, her husband, my grammy, my sister, my mom, my dad, Brian’s brother, and his aunt all there. I was shocked to see everyone, but I just thought, "Wow! Everyone’s here to celebrate my birthday, how special!" After I got over the shock of seeing everyone, we sat down to eat. I remembered in that moment feeling an overwhelming amount of love. There I was with my family, Brian’s family, and my dear friend all together in the same place. It warmed my heart in the most amazing way! This was the very first time that we were all together and I was in that moment surrounded by the most incredible people. After eating, it was time to open gifts. Everyone seemed so genuinely interested in gathering, recording and taking pictures as I opened my gifts. My first gift was a beautiful stuffed lavender unicorn which I lovingly embraced, as it was common for Brian to refer to me as his unicorn. Next, was a unicorn gift box. When I opened it, it was filled with ring pops, lots and lots of ring pops! I was puzzled, ring pops, I thought to myself as I dug out more and more ring pops. At the bottom of the box, beneath the mountain of ring pops was a small vault with a combination. On the inside of the box was a clue to the combination… “Give me another clue”, I whispered across the table. "I love you" he said. I look down to find that that was the combination that unlocked the vault I-L-O-V-E-U. It opened, and there was another note inside which read “Tired yet, you’ll need both hands for this” I looked up at Brian puzzled. He said "you’ll need to stand up and close your eyes". I said okay, still completely unaware of what was happening. With my eyes closed, I heard Brian call my name. I opened my eyes to find him down on one knee. I was in complete shock and immediately fell to the floor sobbing with him. I couldn’t believe it. It felt as if I were having an out of body experience. I had no idea this proposal was coming! We had never discussed rings or even went ring shopping. I had to regain my composure several times, and eventually I declared YES…I will marry you!