“We’re getting married!”

Austin and I met circa 2006. He and my brother, Mike, were really good friends. Not going to lie, I always had a crush on him. But there is an unwritten rule: you never date your siblings’ friend. And in Austin’s case, you never date your friends’ sibling. Plus, back then you just didn’t “date” Austin. LOL So, it was left as just a friendship between us for over 15 years. And I'm glad we had a friendship for all those years. It laid the foundation for what was to come. Fast forward to 2023. My job was having a huge anniversary celebration/Christmas party. I wasn’t dating anyone at the time and didn’t want to go alone. So, I took a chance and messaged Austin on Instagram messenger to see if he would be interested in going as my plus one. He lived in Perdido Key, FL, and I was in Alabama. I wasn’t even sure if he would be able to make the trip, let alone if he was dating someone else, wanted to make the trip, or if he had the same feelings for me as I did him. He finally responded to my message the next day (it was torture waiting all night for a response lol) and he was ecstatic about it and said yes! We started texting here and there, just friendly conversation. We would discuss what we were going to wear and all that. I was really looking forward to the party, but was also nervous about us two just hanging out by ourselves. We always had a group of people around when we were together. Never hung out just the two of us alone. The weekend of the party, sparks flew needless to say. That weekend was full of good times and new memories. We talked and laughed like we never missed a beat. It was awkward at first, but if you know Austin, he made some jokes in the beginning to make the nervousness go away. By the end of the weekend, we weren’t sure how we were going to work it out with the long distance between us, but we did say we would see where it goes and give it a chance. And that bring us to today. We got engaged on January 24, 2025 and are tying the knot on April 11, 2026. We’re so thrilled to marry each other and excited to share it with our closest family and friends.

Yep, that's close enough. See ya'll at the wedding! . . . In all seriousness, it’s funny how life works out sometimes. I’ve known her since around 2006, 15-16 years now, when I became good friends with her brother, Mikey T. She was always around, smart, funny, beautiful, but there was this unspoken rule lol. And I respected that. So, for years, we just had this easy friendship. I always enjoyed talking to her, laughing with her, and being around her, but I never imagined that years later, she’d be the woman I’d be lucky enough to marry. Then out of the blue in 2023, I got a message from her asking if I’d want to go to her company’s big holiday party with her. I was living in Perdido Key, and she was in Alabama, but honestly I didn’t hesitate. I was excited. Really excited. I’d always wondered what if, and now here was a chance to find out. In the days leading up to the party, we started texting. It wasn’t overly flirty or anything, just natural conversation, like old friends catching up. But there was this feeling under the surface that something had changed. Or maybe it had always been there and just never had the chance to grow. When I finally got to see her again in person at the party, it all clicked. We had some nerves at first, but we laughed it off, and suddenly it felt like we’d been doing this forever. The night turned into one of those unforgettable weekends, the kind where everything just feels right. I think we both knew then that this was more than just a fun reunion. It was the start of something real. Sure, we had some questions about how it would work with the distance, but we agreed to give it a shot. And man, I’m so glad we did. Every step of the way since then has just confirmed what I felt that night, she’s the one. January 24, 2025 was a special day. I had lunch with Alyson's parents. At the end of lunch both of them wanted to know why I was there. It took some courage but with a shaky voice I finally asked for their permission. Hugs were shared and tears were shed and the next step was to ask her! Later that evening I felt the time was right, and on one knee I asked. From that day on she was no longer my girlfriend but my fiancé. On April 11, 2026, I get to marry my best friend, someone I’ve known for nearly two decades but now get to love for a lifetime.