Banner Elk is not a town teeming with eligible young single people, so I never imagined meeting someone here that I would want to spend my life with. That all changed in August of 2020, when a beautiful and magnetic young woman wandered into the bar I was working to see some friends. Even though I immediately noticed her, my somewhat jaded mentality precluded me from inquiring further. Thankfully, this woman had noticed me too. She was much less jaded than I, and far more persistent. After insisting I have a drink with her at the completion of my shift, I sat down next to her and my life was forever changed. It was love from the very first conversation. I am so grateful that she saw something in me that day and had the courage to go for it. By the end of that first conversation at a bar in the mountains of North Carolina it had become my turn to go for it. A bit risky, going for a first kiss with a public health masters student during the COVID pandemic. But like her insistence, my gamble was the right one. We began seeing each other back and forth between Greensboro and Banner Elk from that night on. Our love that was kindled on that first night continued to steadily grow. Now we are so happy to welcome all of our loved ones to our wedding, where we can share that love with all of the others we love. Thank you for joining us for this special moment, and we can’t wait to be honored by your presence. Andrew