McKenzie and Alex’s story begins where classic love stories often do–the North Pole. This was the nickname given to the house shared by McKenzie and her college roommates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alex’s high school friend, Andrew Bass, was dating McKenzie’s friend and roommate, Shelby Armentrout, at the time so Alex and a few of his friends took the opportunity to visit them one night before they hit the town in Chapel Hill. It was there, amidst the French Vanilla scented candles and “Diced Pineapples” by Drake feat. Rick Ross playing softly in the background, that Alex first laid eyes on the woman who would one day become his wife. But that day would not come for another seven years. Shortly after that night, McKenzie moved to Austin, TX and Alex to our nation’s capital, neither of them thinking their lives would again intersect in a meaningful way. Such was the impression McKenzie made on Alex, from her smile that lit up the living room of the North Pole to her thoughtful compliment of his shoe choice that evening (Reebok Preseason Carolina Panthers colorway, size 10), that despite the time and distance, she remained a fixture in his mind long afterwards. Every time he would see his friends Andrew and his now-wife Shelby, he would ask about McKenzie only half-jokingly to see how she was doing, what she was up to, and if she ever asked about him. Finally, the day came one Sunday morning as Alex and Andrew sat together in a packed Cracker Barrel, both fighting the effects of a Grandpa’s Country Fried Breakfast platter. They chatted about Andrew’s recent nuptials, and the conversation segued inevitably to McKenzie. They laughed at the irony that she and Alex had attended Andrew and Shelby’s wedding, but separately. Alex mentioned he was planning a trip to Colorado soon and it was revealed McKenzie had spent some time there as well. With Fate’s hands firmly grasping the wheel to the U-Haul of their lives, Alex and Andrew agreed it would be a good idea for Alex to reach out to McKenzie to see if the spark remained. Although it took different cities, many early-morning plane rides, and hours on the phone together before it finally became official, it took only minutes for Alex to realize this was the woman he’d been waiting his entire life for. The girl he met that night in Chapel Hill had gone on to live and work in a new city where she knew almost no one, and experienced the beauty and richness of the adventure that followed, just as he did during his time in DC. They were able to come together as two individual, resilient, and (nearly) complete people, each with their own stories to tell…but only now that the timing was right. He was just as sure then as he was when he asked McKenzie’s parents, Gary & Jill Layne, for their permission to marry her during a visit to Norfolk, VA for Thanksgiving of last year. And he was twice as sure when he took her hand and dropped to one knee in front of both of their families to ask McKenzie what was at that point, the most important question of their lives. Her response, equally as important, marks the beginning of our story, seven years already in the making. We cannot wait to celebrate with all of you, and add new chapters to our story–one that we know will have a happy ending now that it’s one we will tell together.