It all started at Randolph-Macon College during a cookout on an unnaturally warm day in January of 2018. Auria was on the dance team, and Alex played football. Classic college vibes, right? Alex, being the smooth operator he is, spotted Auria from across the lawn and immediately asked his friend, "Who’s that?" (Spoiler: It worked out for him.) A couple of days later, destiny struck—or at least Alex thought so. Auria was leaving a basketball game and grabbing food to-go when Alex noticed her from across the Brock center. He stood up, locked eyes with her, and clearly decided, this is the moment. Auria, however, didn’t get the memo and walked out of the building. But Alex wasn’t giving up. It was dark outside, and as Auria walked back to her dorm, she noticed someone behind her. Naturally, she crossed the street (safety first!). That’s when Alex, arm in a sling no less, decided to call out her name. When she turned around, he jogged over and asked for her number. And somehow, despite the mildly stalker-ish first impression, she said yes. Their first date was a perfect mix of action and fries—they watched Black Panther at the movies and then went to Red Robin. From February to April, they built a close friendship, and on April 26, 2018, Alex officially asked Auria to be his girlfriend. Fast forward six years, on July 6, 2024, Alex proposed at the VMFA in Richmond, VA. Now, they are counting down the days until they say "I do" and start their forever together!

This beautiful Saturday started as a perfectly normal day for us—at least for me (Auria). Alex, on the other hand, had a lot more going on behind the scenes. The plan was simple: brunch (our favorite), a trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), and then meeting my parents to carpool to a Fourth of July cookout. About ten minutes before we were supposed to meet at the restaurant, Alex called me, sounding flustered, to say his car was acting up. He pulled over to a Kroger parking lot and called his parents for help. Turns out, his tire was flat, and in his stressed state, he hadn’t even checked! After a quick car swap with his parents, he raced to the restaurant. While Alex was handling car drama, my best friend and maid of honor, Mariah, was helping him set up the proposal at the VMFA. She staked out the perfect spot, only to call Alex with bad news: a yoga class had taken over the area, and they might need to change plans. (If you know Alex, you know he doesn’t love last-minute changes.) Just as I arrived at the restaurant, Alex hung up the phone, hoping I wouldn’t notice his stress. Spoiler: I didn’t. Brunch was a mix of nerves for Alex and oblivious joy for me. When I casually suggested skipping the museum so we wouldn’t inconvenience my parents, Alex panicked. He excused himself to the bathroom and frantically called my mom to ensure she’d tell me they wouldn’t leave without us. My mom didn't answer the phone, BUT she did see his text a few minutes later and quickly relayed the message to me about how they were running late so Alex and I could take our time. Meanwhile, I noticed Alex barely touched his food—a rare occurrence—but chalked it up to stress over his car and exams. We eventually made it to the museum, where Alex’s hands were so clammy that I refused to hold them. (It was July, so I just assumed he was overheated.) As we approached the proposal spot, he asked me to close my eyes. I did, immediately tripped, and opened them again. Alex spun me around to face a beautiful banner and dropped to one knee. In that moment, I only had eyes for him. He said a lot of beautiful things—most of which I didn’t fully process because I was so shocked! But I’ll never forget him asking, “Will you marry me?” Of course, I said yes! Mariah popped out of the bushes, camera in hand, capturing the moment. We celebrated together, and I was so proud of Alex for pulling off the perfect surprise!