We met at Erskine College during orientation. Kayley was attending as a new student, and Alessio was working as a student leader. We immediately felt drawn to each other especially after talking for 3 hours in front of Carnegie residence hall sharing what God has done in each of our lives. We became fast friends over the summer talking over text, phone calls, and FaceTime. Just after school started on August 22nd, we would decide to officially start dating. We grew closer together and closer to God through the challenges we faced and the fun things we did. Regardless of what it was, we did it together. Alessio would realize that he could not imagine a future without Kayley, so after getting permission from his future father-in-law, he proposed to her on October 28th, 2023.

One day after class in September, Alessio called Aaron Preston, his future father-in-law, to ask a very important question: "do I have your blessing to marry Kayley?" After asking Alessio a few questions, Aaron gave his blessing, and Alessio began to scheme about how to propose to Kayley without her knowing. Thankfully, his good friend Jonathan Claxton had just proposed to his now wife and helped Alessio get the ring and plan a hiking trip that masqueraded as a fun double date. After a small ring mishap and one rain check later, they finally drove all together to Triple Falls, North Carolina. The proposal went perfectly, and Kayley was pleasantly surprised shedding many happy tears and jumping for joy. They went to celebrate the occasion at Mezza Luna Pizzeria to eat their favorite pizza and called their family and friends to share the wonderful news afterward.