We had reached a moment in our lives where we placed our trust in God to guide our paths in the realm of dating. With a clear understanding of what we sought in a partner, we set our Hinge profiles accordingly. When we first crossed paths, we approached the prospect of meeting with some hesitance, each of us having experienced a few less-than-ideal dates. Little did we know, a God had a different plan in store for us. Our first date unfolded seamlessly, radiating ease and comfort as we discussed our walks with The Lord and got to know each other. As we engaged in a few rounds of pickleball, strolled along the beach, and spent a day at the shooting range, we felt an unmistakable connection. It became clear that something extraordinary was in the making. When Abbie had the opportunity to meet Clayton's kids, Avah and Eli, and develop a relationship with them, the significance of keeping Christ at the center of our time together became even more significant. We made a conscious effort to let His blessings flow into our relationship every step of the way. We are so excited to witness His divine hand shaping our marriage, and we are thrilled to have our cherished friends and family walk alongside us as we embark on this new chapter in our journey.

Clayton's story: I knew Abbie was the one early on in our relationship. I have been so excited everyday knowing that she is in my life, so when I bought the ring I knew that I had to plan something that was going to be special. After spending time at her family's cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains with some friends, I knew I had found the perfect spot to pop the question. I spoke with her parents, received their blessing and everything was lining up. We were about two weeks out and there was a hurricane forecasted to come through Jacksonville. I knew that I would have to leave for work during our planned trip to Blue Ridge so I had to call an audible, I was not waiting any longer to propose to this girl! With the help of Abbie's best friends, Kate and Karli, I set up a sunrise devotional time with Abbie. It was a beautiful morning, we finished our devotional right at sunrise and started walking down the beach (I had a photographer ready). We got to our mark and I read her a letter that I had written. I got down on my knee and the rest is history! Abbie's story: When I first met Clayton, I had the sense that he was too good to be true. Pretty early on, Clayton and I started discussing our future but I've never been one to let the cart go before the horse, so specific expectations about the timing of our engagement were basically non-existent. I randomly asked Clayton a couple weeks prior to our engagement if we could go for a sunrise walk soon, something we hadn't done in a while. So, when he asked me to go one Saturday morning, I didn't think much of it at the time. The two of us started our day with a devotional, before taking a stroll down the beach. As we began our walk, we came across a random blanket on the ground. Clayton, in a joking manner, suggested that someone had left it out for us. My initial instinct was to be cautious, thinking that we probably shouldn't disturb an abandoned blanket, possibly used by someone who had just slept on it. However, Clayton had a surprise in store. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, which he began to read aloud. It became clear that the blanket was not random at all; it was a deliberate landmark set up by a photographer for the special moment that was about to unfold. I was about to experience one of the most amazing and exciting moments as Clayton got down on one knee.