We're getting married!

We’re Celeste and Carson. Our story began in the Chicagoland area. Celeste grew up in Cary. Carson was born in New Mexico and moved to Crystal Lake, Illinois, when he was ten. We started dating in high school—and five years later, we found ourselves saying yes to forever. We both had crushes on eachother. Carson finally worked up the courage to ask Celeste out, and she said yes. Our first date took place at Veteran Acres Park in Crystal Lake. Carson arrived with a basket full of Celeste’s favorite snacks and drinks, and we spent the afternoon talking and laughing in a hammock. The evening was carefully planned, complete with dinner and dessert, but instead we talked for six hours without noticing the time slip away. We ended the night sitting on top of our church roof, watching the sun set. It was magical and absolutely perfect. A month later, Carson said “I love you.” It took Celeste a little longer to say it back—but when she did, we both knew this was something worth holding onto. As our relationship deepened, distance became a recurring theme. Celeste headed west to attend Brigham Young University, and soon after, we felt the Lord guiding us—through much prayer—to serve full-time Latter-day Saint missions. While most couples were celebrating graduation milestones together, we were preparing for years apart. It was hard—achingly hard—but we chose, again and again, to push through the distance side by side. For two years, we wrote letters nearly every day and sent emails once a week. In unexpected and sacred ways, that season drew us closer than ever before. We missed each other deeply, but we loved our missions. They changed our lives, strengthened our faith, and shaped the foundation of our relationship. At times, it felt like the world and our circumstances were pulling us apart—but there was always an invisible string tying us together. Last October, beneath the towering peaks of the Grand Tetons, Carson got down on one knee and asked Celeste to spend eternity with him. She didn’t hesitate. She said yes. This May, we’ll begin our marriage and the next chapter of our journey. We can’t wait to see where it takes us.