Andy and I have the University of South Carolina's Dance Marathon to thank for bringing us together! I was the finance director at the time, and after Andy caught my eye (for not paying his dues), a semester of finance tutoring and weekly meetings kicked off a friendship that would evolve over the next 9 years. So many of my favorite memories over those years include Andy – tailgates, nights in the library, weekend trips, and movie marathons. Surrounded by a great group of friends that we still have today, we had an opportunity to get to know each other honestly and comfortably. As we grew as people and settled into our lives in Charlotte, a lot changed, but one constant was Andy. I have always been grateful for his friendship and steady presence in my life. A part of me was always hoping that we could be more than friends, and I will be forever grateful to Andy for leading the way in taking that leap. Marrying my best friend is truly one of the greatest blessings in my life, and we can't wait to celebrate with you all on June 7!

When my friend Casey and I were asked to join Dance Marathon Morale our junior year at South Carolina, we were told that since they needed more men to join, our dues would be waived. That was until our first meeting when we got called out for not paying them by Alli, our Director of Finance... I wish this was a cheesy story where I leaned over to Casey and whispered, "I'm going to marry that girl one day," but I can say Alli had the type of energy I was instantly drawn to. From that point, I paid my dues and came up with every excuse possible to see her. I didn’t need to bring her every single dollar I collected for Dance Marathon, but every time I did, her face lit up as if I was bringing a million dollar check. I even pretended like I needed finance tutoring so I could hang out with her more. Throughout that year, we were a part of a group of friends that was inseparable (sitting together at every football game, constant family dinners, and even spending every second of the Columbia flood lockdowns with each other). Alli became my best friend that I shared everything with. After college, Alli moved to Charlotte, the city where I was born and raised. I had internship offers in New York City but it made too much sense to move back to the Queen City where the most important people in my life were. I loved driving her around showing off the places I frequented (and the places where I got in trouble) growing up. Soon enough, when both of us were starting to date around, I realized that every date I went on, I found myself wanting to call Alli and tell her how it went. Even in serious relationships, I found myself wondering “what if?” At a certain point, I knew that if I didn’t go for it, I would miss my chance and from that point, I wasn’t turning back. Best decision I ever made. Now I get to say that I’m spending the rest of my life with my best friend!