We are getting married!

The year was 2007. The acne was real, the afro was big and the school was Frank W. Cox High School. 15-year-old Derek was on mission, and that mission was to identify the prettiest girl at Cox. Scanning the hallways, classrooms and cafeteria, he had to keep his senses in tip top shape to be sure he didn’t miss out on anything. The first day of school was winding down as he was entering his last class of the day: study block. The perfect time to review his notes and narrow it down to the finalists. And that’s when it happened. As he entered study block, a beaming, glowing presence was sitting in the back of the room, forcing him to shield his eyes as he entered the classroom. Church bells began ringing, the ceiling began to open, and it was as if her desk was floating a few inches off the ground. It was the Great Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. The Titan of Terror. The Colossus of Clout. The King of Crash, man. She was the one. When he had least expected it, he found her. Mackenzie Leigh Wells was assigned to the same study block as he was. Knees weak, palms were sweaty, he had made his decision already. The trance was broken by someone saying, “hey, you dropped this.” He bent over, picked up his jaw off of the floor and made his way over to his assigned seat. This moment was the start of their journey that gives us the reason we are gathering on Oct. 2, 2021. Mairwage. (mah-wage) Over the next four years, Derek would dip, dodge, dive and duck his way until he somehow landed in a random house party garage locking eyes with the Great Bambino. A few bad jokes were made, and the rest was history. 11 years later and 11,000 memories later, he is marrying the girl of his dreams, and they could not be more excited to be celebrating their journey with their closest friends and family.