There are a lot of stories that we could share here. We could tell you about the first time we met hanging out with Ashleigh and Pete at Atlanta Bread Company before Rock N Roll Revival. We could tell you about the time Nate discovered the real first time we met in preschool at Pasadena Early Learning Center when he was digitizing home movies for Christy’s family. We could tell you about how we were friends for years before we got together and how Nate changed his plans and flew to Europe to chase Christy to Amsterdam… and how that went horribly wrong. In the end we felt that the story about how we got together is just a small part of our story. It’s definitely not the question we get asked most. By the time we say “I Do” on November 2nd, we will have been together for over 11 years. After that much time, by far the question we get the most is: "Why aren’t you married yet?" or "Why did it take you so long?" Now that is a story…

We were met with big decisions and life changes from the start. We started dating in 2008 when Christy returned to the country. The next year Christy was moving across the country for her Masters Degree and at that time we started living together while attending school at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Soon after, Christy would go through one of the hardest times of her life -- getting her MS diagnosis while finishing her degree. Within just a few years of dating we had already been through what felt like a lifetime of challenges. After finishing school we spent the next several years overcoming a series of challenges including Christy’s medical treatments, Nate’s struggle with depression, and both of us working to establish our careers. By the time we moved to Silver Spring in 2014, it felt like a new start and a chance to heal and thrive. And we did. Through all of these struggles there were several things that we knew and could find comfort in. We knew we were each other’s best friend. That was the case before we started dating and is still true today. We have always been each other’s biggest fans, support group, confidants and partners. We have known for a long time that we were a team going through life together. Giving one another the courage to venture out into the unknown and taking turns carrying one another through the hard times. We were already committed to each other. Our wedding day has come to be about celebrating life, our love, and entering a new chapter of our journey together with the people that mean so much to us and have been a part of our story thus far. So, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate you and celebrate with you. We want to thank you for your love, your support and the shared laughs and small moments that keep us smiling and fill our lives with so much joy and love. We have also waited a long time for this day and could not be more excited to share it with you. … And that is our story