We first met at Destination Imagination (DI) Global Finals in 2015. Blake was a student worker for the event and Alissa was a participant. Since 2009, Alissa competed annually in the international competition in Knoxville. Then a junior in high school, she was trying to kill time before the event started and decided to go talk to the cute guy at the info desk. He (Blake) spent the next 20 minutes explaining the construction plans of the University of Tennessee. Blake was, of course, trying to convince Alissa to come to UT for school.

Fast forward one year, Alissa sees Blake at the same info desk! They catch up and Alissa disappoints Blake with the news she will not be attending the University of Tennessee (out-of-state tuition is expensive!). This year, Blake is one of the event photographers. Alissa asks if he would document her final DI performance since she was in her senior year season and final competition year. He shows up a few days later, camera in hand. After the performance, Blake congratulates Alissa and they follow each other on Twitter to share the photos.

Two years later, Alissa messages Blake to see if he will be back volunteering because she got invited to be a tournament appraiser. Turns out, the stars aligned and Blake would be back too, this time as the VIP Driver. Blake spent the week giving driving tours to DI's VIPs, Executives... and Alissa. One night, Blake asked to take Alissa on a tour of Knoxville beyond the campus. Unfortunately, they both finished their volunteer shifts late which led to a midnight excursion that encompassed everything from driving to the Knoxville Zoo to getting lost trying to hike through the woods to The Bluffs overlooking the city across the river. Alissa fell asleep in the passenger seat - which Blake now realizes is a very common occurrence. At the end of the week, Blake reminded Alissa that he would be heading to South Korea after the summer, and that he hoped they would see one another again. He said he owed her for getting lost in the woods.

The next month, Blake tried to make it up to Alissa on his way to the Cincinnati Airport going backpacking Europe. Despite another goodbye and failed dinner meet up, they could not stop texting each other. Once he got back to his summer job at UT, Blake even wanted to talk on the phone, which confused a Gen-Z Alissa. Among their frequent conversations, Blake learned that Alissa had never been camping. They decided to take a camping trip to Lexington, Kentucky - about halfway between their hometowns. In Kentucky, Blake showed Alissa the 21c Hotel, universities, and the state capitol - which would all become staples of future road trips for the pair. Alissa even suggested they visit all the state capitols! Blake thought Alissa was crazy, but now they've seen almost half of them together. After a tearful 2-hour goodbye, they drove home. However, plans were quickly made to see each other again. With a bring-a-friend-free pass to Dollywood, Blake welcomed Alissa back to Tennessee two weeks later. They spent the weekend at Dollywood and exploring Knoxville before Blake would leave for Korea a week later.

Like every new couple, Blake and Alissa wanted to spend more time together. Unlike every new couple, they were approximately 6,750 miles apart. During the fall semester, Alissa decided she wanted to spend her winter break visiting Blake in Seoul, South Korea. Alissa nervously asked her mom, whose only request was that she get to meet Blake over FaceTime. Alissa's best friend and future bridesmaid, Beth, could not believe it. She (with good reason) tried to discourage Alissa from flying to the other side of the world to stay in the apartment of essentially a stranger. Blinded by love, Alissa did not listen to Beth. After Christmas 2018, Alissa boarded her first ever flight by herself from Cincinnati, OH to Seoul, South Korea in a 14-hour journey. Upon arrival, she patiently waited for Blake to pick her up at the subway station to start her 3-week adventure. The rang in the New Year with 33 chimes of the bell - a Korean tradition - in the freezing temperatures. While Blake was at work, Alissa explored museums and tried spicy foods. Grateful for a visitor, Blake loved showing her his favorite street foods. They even took a weekend trip to Tokyo, Japan - where they would eventually return 6 years later.

To help lighten Blake's suitcases upon his return, Alissa volunteered to take back some of his clothes and belongings to Ohio - which meant Blake would need to come visit. Blake and Alissa kept in contact and planned trips when they could. Blake moved from Tennessee to Oklahoma during the summer of 2019. Throughout the rest of Alissa's junior and senior years of college, they would plan occasional trips to each other's hometowns and to visit. When COVID canceled the last few months of Alissa's senior year, Blake asked if she would come to Oklahoma and continue her classes virtually. Alissa bought a one-way ticket, and within 12 hours was on a flight to visit Oklahoma. For about a month in the very earliest days of COVID, Blake and Alissa enjoyed the warm spring weather on hikes, driving Route 66, and exploring small towns across OK.

After graduation, Alissa decided to do a year of service in Tulsa, Oklahoma - just over an hour from where Blake lived in Stillwater. Finally in the same state! They took frequent road trips and explored nearly every city in eastern and central Oklahoma as well as most central US states.

During Labor Day Weekend of 2020, Blake and Alissa decided to visit a few new capitols throughout six states. At the steps of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Blake asked Alissa to be his girlfriend - only 774 days after their first date. Minutes later they were quickly asked to vacate the grounds by capitol police as it was closed due to protesting (political protest, not protest of the relationship proposition).

The shorter distance was short lived, as Alissa got an offer to move to Boston. While it meant living apart again, it also meant access to a new area of the country. Blake visited New England in the fall for Alissa's birthday. They traveled to 7 state capitols in a long weekend! The couple spent many hours on the phone, video calling, and dreaming about being in the same state again however it could work out.

After a lot of convincing from Blake, they traveled to their first World's Fair (Expo) in February of 2022. They spent a week in a new pocket of the world - learning about the Middle East, trying new foods, and exploring the modern city of Dubai. Blake and Alissa spent several days at the World's Fair immersed in innovation, technology, and culture. They spent so long visiting country pavilions that they forgot to eat dinner most nights. Each day was filled with so much joy and learning.

After her service year in Boston, Alissa found a job back to Oklahoma working on events. Just four short months later, Blake accepted a job in North Carolina. It was at this moment that they had to decide if they wanted to do life together or go their separate ways. After lots of conversation, they decided that once the rest of Alissa's eight month lease was up in Oklahoma, she would join Blake in North Carolina. The dream of living in the same city was just a few months away!

Finally, after 5-1/2 years of long distance, Alissa moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Blake and Alissa in the same city! Blake and Alissa have been able to enjoy not only another region of the country, but one that is now driving distance for many of our family and friends. Road trips to the Tri-Cities in Tennessee, direct flights to Vermont and Cincinnati, drives to Florida, quick visits to D.C. or Charlotte, and long weekends in Ohio fill up many of their weekends.

We got engaged! Blake had the ring for a little over 6 months having asked Alissa's dad for his blessing the previous July when together in North Carolina and her mom at Christmas in Florida. Blake took Alissa ring shopping just a few weeks before leaving for Asia to throw her off. Blake waited until they went to Osaka for the World's Fair for a few reasons: 1. They met in Knoxville at an event centered around World's Fair Park, with a 2nd date including a tour of the Sunsphere. 2. They had an amazing time at the 2020 World's Fair in Dubai 3 years ago. 3. They visited the 1958 Brussels World's Fair park and the Atomium 18 months prior. 4. May 2025 marks 10 years since Blake and Alissa first met while working Destination Imagination's Global Finals Before flying to Japan, Blake managed to secretly buy Alissa her favorite board game she'd been wanting to get called "Let's Go to Japan." The game featured cards of locations and tasks around Japan to plan a fake trip for. Blake made custom cards for their upcoming experiences - Going to the World's Fair and Getting Engaged. In a last minute change of plans, Blake had to pop the question 2 days early to avoid rain. This resulted in a slight panic and he ran off leaving his camera battery at their Airbnb. He took a train back to get it and in further panic, didn’t take the key. Blake’s proposal plans were quickly crashing. Eventually, Blake made it back in time for a sushi lunch. Throughout the day Toni Jackson, Blake's close friend from UT who joined us on this trip to Japan, held the ring in her bag as Blake likely would have lost it. She even asked Alissa about her dream proposal to throw her off. The three went up on the Grand Ring to watch the sunset over Osaka Bay and had a drawn out impromptu 30 minute photo shoot. But, the clouds were thick and sunset wasn't very visible and there was a crowd forming due to an upcoming water laser show. Toni had to find a way to get Blake - fast and without a perceptive Alissa noticing. As they posed for photos, she slipped Blake the ring in the photo that Alissa took. Not long after, they were stopped by a staff member from Nigeria who wanted to chat. Back to more photos and walking to avoid crowds. As Blake was about to propose and on his knees, a Japanese lady stopped to ask to take their photo, so they have a wonderful diagonal pic that was taken by a lady in her 80's who spoke no English and didn't know how to use a professional camera. Then, finally as the crowds filled in on the boardwalk, Blake was worried Alissa had caught on at this point due to all the repeating photos. It was getting much darker, and Blake almost backed out for another day. But, the threat of rain forced the timing of the here and now. Blake finally had his chance and got down on one knee to formally propose. The gathering crowd around, and Alissa immediately teared up - caught off guard. Blake proposed first with the ring, unable to get through his speech due to Alissa crying and saying yes quickly, they hugged, and Blake returned to his knee to present her the custom board game cards. After the crowd of Japanese folks around cheered and we took more pictures, Blake finally told her more of the words he wanted to say, and then gave a longer winded part two a couple hours later walking the 400 acre Expo 2025 grounds. P.S. Special shoutout to the nearly 200 people who knew of their pending engagement and never let it slip.

And here we are. After 11+ years of knowing each other and 8+ years of traveling the world together, we're finally tying the knot and right back in Knoxville where it all began underneath a World’s Fair icon. We are so grateful for each and every one of you - for the role you've played in our story and for coming to support us in our next chapter!