It all began during spring break 2021 on the white sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Introduced by mutual friends, Martin sent Brooke a message later that afternoon, and after a few days of texting, they decided to grab tacos together. What was supposed to be a quick bite turned into hours at the table, full of talking and laughing. They surprisingly had more in common than they thought. Martin was sure by the end of the night that Brooke was someone special. However, Brooke was smitten, but it took a few weeks to realize Martin might be the one. While it wasn’t a picture-perfect love story at first, Martin worked hard to convince Brooke to go on a second date. Eventually, she agreed. By the end of that second date, Martin was certain Brooke was going to be his girlfriend. Months went by of dating and Brooke casually asked Martin if they were exclusive and Martin casually said, “I thought you’ve been my girlfriend for months now.” When Martin graduated in December 2021, we began a long-distance relationship. While it wasn’t always easy, the distance taught us to value our time together truly and gave us the chance to grow individually. During that time, we focused on building our careers, pursuing personal goals, and getting to know each other’s families and friends, all of which helped us create a strong foundation for our relationship. Fast forward through years of traveling, adventures, laughter, and love. On December 7, 2024, Brooke’s 25th birthday, Martin proposed, and she said “Yes”! Now, we’re so excited to begin the next chapter of our story together.