Family and Friends, We were married on May 16, 2020! While it was not the day we had initially planned for, it was even better. We were surrounded by our immediate family and close friends in an intimate ceremony, able to focus on the true meaning of marriage, and loved from afar by such an incredible support system. We feel so blessed to be husband and wife! While celebrations were certainly had, there's always room for more celebrating, right? On May 14, 2021, in Wrightsville Beach, NC, we will be having a One-Year Anniversary celebration and vow renewal, and celebrate we will. Please email Brooke (bea8539@gmail.com) with updated email address to receive updates on the weekend. All our love, Mr. & Mrs. Bowden

I first met Brooke in 2011 in chemistry class at UNCW where we were lab partners. I was living on the beach focused on graduating while Brooke was fully immersed on campus with cheerleading, but I never forgot the memories from that class. Fast-forward 5 years and the Bunsen burner re-ignited. In 2016, I was living in Jacksonville, FL and we reconnected when I congratulated Brooke on a job promotion. I couldn’t resist reaching out in hopes she might want to catch up. It turns out she did - we had our first date at Umstead Park and it felt like no time had passed. I frequently drove to Raleigh and Brooke came to Jacksonville to spend as much time as possible together. Jacksonville will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is where Brooke became my girlfriend and where God really worked in my life. His plan was perfect. I moved to Greensboro and we dated long distance for 2 years, which was challenging but created a strong foundation for us. Those 2 years were filled with traveling, tailgating at UNC games with the Adams, partying with the WHS crew, wakeboarding at Hyco Lake with my family and Page High/UNCW friends, skiing double black diamonds at Snowshoe, and spending weekends at Wrightsville Beach - our favorite little town. She even got her hunting license and hunted with me! Yew! In 2018 I was blessed with a new job opportunity in Raleigh. This allowed me to pursue Brooke’s heart even further. Since then, we've found a home church and I bought a house in North Hills, our soon-to-be home. We traveled to Peru on a Mission Trip in August. I had known for years I wanted to marry her, but her compassion and love I witnessed there solidified that. Proposing to my Brookie was the happiest day of my life. She is adventurous, charismatic, brave, hilarious, smart and stunningly beautiful. She's never met a stranger (no, really, she knows everyone) and has an enormous heart. I am so thankful God gave me Brooke and can't wait to spend forever together!

October 27th, 2018 was no different. If you know David and me, you know we tend to be on the go all the time, planning our weekends much in advance. So I was confused that David was insistent on staying in Raleigh with no plans when I wanted to visit our friends in Wilmington. After some serious persuasion, I had agreed to a weekend in Raleigh with no plans. On Saturday I thought we were going to go on a walk together and have lunch with our friends, Rebecca and Chris. We regularly go on walks at different trails around Raleigh so nothing seemed unusual. He took me to the trails at the NC Museum of Art. We walked to the large sculpture rings, which were my favorite, and it was there where David got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was so surprised and excited that I not only forgot to put the ring on before jumping on David, but when he told me to hold out my hand, I held out the wrong one! But, the shock and immense joy I felt did not end there. We left the museum so that I could then be surprised with a full day and night of celebrations with our families and 30 of our best friends who came from all over to celebrate with us. That day he planned was full of so much love (and all the happy tears), but I know that day will pale in comparison to the life I get to spend with my best friend. David is the most humble, determined, adventurous, hilarious, devoted, and God-fearing man (it also doesn’t hurt that he’s the best cook and really handsome). I feel so grateful I get to be his wife! This past year of engagement has taught us a lot about the importance of a Christ-centered relationship and we feel blessed to be surrounded by the most supportive family and friends to encourage us in our relationship.