We first connected on Instagram through one of Raphal’s best friends. After a quick video chat in the DMs that didn’t quite take off, we drifted for a bit. Eventually, he slid back into my messages, and this time the conversation stuck. We started texting regularly, and before long he asked me out to J. Alexander’s. When we finally met in person, I immediately told him he was short. He laughed and said, “We the same height, baby, you just have heels on,” which set the tone for the whole night. Over dinner, we discovered we had an unbelievable number of mutual friends. I joked about getting up and leaving, and he told me, “You can finish your food first,” trying to act unbothered. His pretend arrogance didn’t fool me for a second. After dinner, we went back to my place for drinks and hookah in the backyard and shared our first kiss. Something clicked that night. We became genuinely intrigued by each other and ended up seeing one another almost every day. A few days after our first date, he showed up with a birthday gift for my dog haha and that’s when I knew he was different. It was the sweetest gesture. Our love story wasn’t always peaches and cream. We faced our share of trials, growing pains, and moments that tested us in every way. But through it all, we kept finding our way back to each other. Somewhere between the challenges and the breakthroughs, we realized that choosing each other wasn’t just a moment, it was a commitment we wanted to make every day. We share a beautiful child name Ahsan, who has been the heart of our journey and the reminder of what we’re building together. As we step into marriage, we’re not just celebrating love; we’re building a legacy rooted in resilience, growth, and a bond that only got stronger with time. This wedding isn’t just a celebration of where we are now. It’s a celebration of everything we overcame to get here and everything we’re excited to build together.