We can't wait to celebrate with you on 10/25/25!

We’re so excited to celebrate this next chapter with our favorite people, across the places that mean the most to us. We’ll be officially tying the knot in a private ceremony on October 17, just the two of us. That date holds deep meaning as it was Lacey’s grandparents’ anniversary (they were married for 59 years!). We look forward to celebrating with all of you on October 25th at our East Coast Celebration in Williamsburg, Virginia! To RSVP, please enter just your name (e.g., “Lacey Cope” not “Lacey and Austin”) exactly. This helps the system find your household and show everyone in your party, including partners or kids, so you can RSVP together. Thank you for being part of our story. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

We met in Jack London Square in Oakland, at a farmer’s market. Austin was working at The Source Chiropractic, a group practice, where Lacey would later become a regular of a different doctor. While their lives were in totally different places at the time, little did they know the direction each of their journeys would take them. Fast forward a couple of years, a global pandemic, and a cross-country move later: Lacey had relocated to Williamsburg, VA. One night in November 2021, fresh off a “Skatesgiving” roller rink injury that left her couch-bound with a shattered wrist, she was scrolling Instagram and saw a post from Austin at the Navy SEAL memorial in Virginia Beach. It seemed so random, so with nothing better to do she decided to DM him. Turns out, he had just moved to Virginia too! They caught up briefly, and when she mentioned her wrist injury, he casually said, “That’s funny. I specialized in wrist injuries in school. Let me know if you need help.” She half-joked that if he was ever “passing through” Williamsburg, he should stop by. (Spoiler: Charlottesville to Williamsburg is not a quick pass-through)! But he made the trek. On December 19, 2021, he made the 2-hour drive to check on her. She was so appreciative that she tried, one-armed, to prep coffee, fruit, and pastries for them to share. What followed was hours of sitting at her kitchen table, talking like they'd been close friends for years. Over the next couple months, he’d visit to help with her recovery, and she'd try to make the long drive worth his while: hikes, pancake runs (because, yes, Williamsburg has the most pancake houses per capita in the world). It all felt natural and easy, but also… different. Finally, after one of those visits, they were headed to dinner when Austin (who doesn’t typically take his patients hiking or out to eat) initiated the DTR and said, “Maybe we should check in on what this is.” Cue: the world’s most vulnerable conversation, shared on the same side of a one-sided booth, spilling their fears, past experiences, and everything that could possibly scare each other off. It didn’t. Instead, they made a decision. We’d be a safe place for each other to land. 10 months later, they were all in, and a few months after that, Austin moved to Williamsburg. They quickly opened The Hive Chiropractic, and then bought their home. In every season since, they've taken everything life has thrown at them together, with courage, heartbreak, laughs, and steadfast love. They've said yes to adventure, yes to hard things, and yes to each other, again and again.

For two winters straight, Austin teased that he’d grow his beard back “when it snowed.” It never did. Lacey, a firm supporter of beard season, waited patiently. Then came January 2025. They had just weathered the hardest year of their lives, and the forecast finally showed snow. Austin became very interested in the weather. On Sunday night, January 5, with snow gently falling for the first time in three years, he convinced Lacey to bundle up for a 10pm walk through Colonial Williamsburg. It should’ve been a clue when he brought a tripod, but she was too enchanted because it truly felt like a Hallmark movie. They were the first footprints in the snow. Everything was still. Nobody else around. They made our way to the Williamsburg Inn (one of Lacey's favorite places in town), where Austin set up his tripod by the reflecting pool and sent her across to, “go play in the snow.” She did, twirling under the lights like a goofball. He walked around the pool, met her in the middle, got down on one knee, and asked, “Will you marry me?” She said, “I will marry you!” (Technically not “yes,” which they now laugh about). The only other souls around were a couple of snowplow drivers who ducked behind a truck when they saw what was happening, then shouted congratulations when it was over. The ring? One we had tried on during a trip to Charleston, SC the summer before. So thoughtful. So us.