We first connected online, but it was Ash's unforgettable R2D2 impression that truly caught Caleb's attention. He thought, “She’s one in a million—no, one in a billion.” Our first date didn’t go exactly as planned—after driving to a movie, we were told it got snowed out, but we were determined and ended up trekking across town to catch the same film. Ash promptly fell asleep during the movie, leaving Caleb’s arm completely numb, but it didn’t matter. When Ash went back to school just two days later, we didn’t miss a beat—in less than two weeks, Caleb managed to convince her to join him for a comedy show a month later. After the end of the comedy show, Caleb asked Ash to be his girlfriend—it was a start that felt just right.

Shortly after Ash graduated from William & Mary, we moved into our first apartment, navigating new careers—Caleb starting an apprenticeship at a restoration mechanics shop, and Ash working as a mental health counselor in a psychiatric setting. A month later, Caleb suggested we take a day trip, and after a visit to Ash’s mom, Ash jokingly said, “This would be a good day to get engaged.” Caleb, equally playful, responded with, “Shut up.” The day took us to a lunch that was surprisingly gross, but we ended up walking around Downtown Norfolk, making our way to one of our favorite spots—the Pagoda. After sitting on the dock for a while, Caleb suggested we dance. Ash, feeling the cold, sarcastically agreed, only to notice Caleb staying seated. After telling Caleb he was acting strange, Ash turned to head back to the car, but Caleb stopped her with, “Ash, I have an important question to ask you.” In true Ash fashion, she responded with, “What?!”—but froze when she saw Caleb down on one knee, talking about the adventure we’d shared so far. In that moment, everything fell into place, and the answer was clear: Yes. The rest of the evening was spent wandering around downtown, trying (and failing) to remember which parking garage we’d left the car in.

We are both diving into exciting new chapters of our lives. As we moved into our first place together, we shared heart-warming memories—hosting friends, waking up with our siblings on Christmas morning, and countless late nights filled with Borderlands and Gilmore Girls. Caleb is thriving in his apprenticeship at the restoration shop, while Ash is pursuing her dream job as a behavior technician and studying hard in graduate school to become a behavior analyst. As we look ahead to our wedding, we're so thankful you'll be there to celebrate with us on this special day!