Join us for a Florida Keys vacation with a splash of wedding!

Derek and I first crossed paths eight years ago when I started working at White Arbor Bridal. He was the young college son of the owner, Diana, and I was happ- I was married at the time. Little did we know, our connection wouldn’t truly begin until years later. Fast forward to April 2020 — a year that would bring so much change to all of us. After a divorce and amidst a global pandemic, Derek decided to send me a Facebook friend request. I didn't think anything of it since he was just "Diana's son". One evening, I posted a picture of my dog, Xena, with the caption, “I have the cutest dog. Tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.” For some reason, Derek took the dare seriously, messaged me saying Xena wasn’t that cute (clearly, he was wrong!), and we ended up chatting for hours. From that moment on, we just couldn’t stop talking and laughing together. After a month or so of hanging out and getting to know each other, we realized it was time to make things official — and that meant telling his mom. We were both a little nervous, but to our surprise, Diana took the news better than we could have hoped. On June 24, 2020, we officially became a couple, and the rest, as they say, is history. Our relationship has been full of laughter, love, and countless adventures, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds as we take this next big step together.