We’re Getting Married! LOUMC and White Oak Estates can accommodate all RSVP guests with required social distancing! Wear your dancing shoes!!

Clay and I lived in the same condominium complex during our time at LSU. In my last semester of undergrad, I noticed Clay walking to his condo a couple of times and thought I’d like to meet him, never thinking I actually would. Fast forward a few months and I was walking Peanut, my family’s beloved and late Shih Tzu. Peanut and I developed a habit of walking past Clay's condo on the chance we might bump into him. One day, October 7, 2016 to be exact, on our way toward unit 906, Peanut took off toward a dead squirrel. At first I was flustered, thinking that Peanut was going to try to pack the squirrel off... until I noticed “the guy who lived in 906” with Peanut tucked under his arm and a smile on his face. My first words to Clay were “There’s a dead squirrel over there.” What a pick up line... very smooth. Thankfully Clay is very sweet and very smooth himself and said, “Yep.” I like to think that we had an instant connection and, as for me, it was love at first sight. I introduced myself to Clay and shook his hand. Again, very smooth. I took my dog and hauled him off back to to my condo. I wrote off "Unit 906 Guy", thinking I’d completely blown my chance. Skip to the following morning and once again I was walking Peanut after being awake for approximately 2 minutes which my appearance made all the more obvious. Of course I ran into Clay as I was in the habit of walking Peanut past 906 at that point. Clay was cool as a cucumber, on his way to class with a cup of coffee in his hand. I said hello and went on my way. What I didn’t know in that moment was Clay had messaged me on Facebook the night before, checking in on my family’s fate post-2016 flood. I messaged him back; after a few messages back and forth Clay made his move! We made a date for the following Friday. HOWEVER... neither of us could wait that long and we ended up getting coffee the next day. The rest is history......

I proposed to Sammi on my family's boat in Lake Ponchatrain. She figured out that I had bought a ring, and I knew if I wanted to surprise her I would have to do something she could never possibly figure out. I planned it all out. I bought a GoPro for the proposal and started using it on my fishing trips so she wouldn't suspect anything. I religiously watched satellite images trying to find clear water locally. Finally I found a good day and set plans to go to Lake Borgne at sunrise to propose to Sammi. Well, the day before this was supposed to happen I brought the boat and the ring to Watson. We were going to take an early morning trip "saltwater fishing" right ahead of some incoming weather. I stayed overnight at her parents' house, and when I woke up the next morning the incoming weather sped up and a tornado was headed straight for where we were going. Wonderful, just my luck. I had to call off the proposal that day, and everybody had to bottle everything up until I could reschedule. I knew that I couldn't keep the secret much longer, and neither could our parents, so I rescheduled for Lake Ponchatrain the very next day. Hectic prep was made, and Sammi started to get really suspicious; why was I so boneheaded about going fishing? Thankfully, I was able to talk my way out of it. To this day it is the only time I have ever fooled Sammi. Anyway, we went out "bass fishing", and eventually found our way to Ponchatrain just within view of the New Orleans skyline. That's when I reached into the console and grabbed the ring. After telling her how much I loved her and how I wanted to spend my life with her, I carefully kneeled and asked her to marry me. I couldn't believe it when she said yes; it was like I was dreaming. Right when I put the ring on her finger a gentleman decided to send a 2 foot boat wake our way and I had to give her a death grip to keep her in the boat, but we all survived and the rest is history.