We’re getting married!

Christina and Graham met like a lot of couples have through the generations: on a dating app. 🐝First “matching” in March of 2020, they wouldn’t go on their first date until July 3rd of that same year. This being the early days of COVID-19, Graham had trouble thinking of good ideas for a first date (though he would never tell Christina this), but fortunately, the military took that responsibility away from him. Just 5 days before they were set to meet, the Navy set a policy that every Active Duty servicemember would sign a Page 13; a binding document preventing them from visiting any business that wasn’t work, the grocery store, or a hospital. Even though Christina and Graham are both fans of Whole Foods, exploring the frozen food section makes for a terrible first date. What do two people do for a first date in the middle of summer without setting foot inside? Spend hours talking & walking around Norfolk, of course. And the rest is history.

For their first anniversary, Graham gifted Christina with a skydiving experience, though it would be nearly a year to the day before they had the opportunity to take advantage of it. Finally, the perfect opportunity presented itself, and on July 1st, 2022, they drove to Skydive Suffolk to sign the waivers, listen to the briefs, and get Christina fitted for a tandem harness. As the final preparations were being made nerves ran high for both of them, though Graham’s anxiety wasn’t for his 113th jump, but the extra piece of equipment hidden in a fanny pack on his waist. 💍 After boarding the plane, they took off, peering out the window to watch the ground disappear beneath the open sky. Most skydives take place at 12,500 ft above the ground, giving roughly 45 seconds of freefall before opening the chute and gradually gliding to the earth. However, Graham’s best man, Zach, is an avid skydiver and had a suggestion for how to make sure Christina couldn’t beat Graham to the ground: jump out of the plane halfway up. Working behind the scenes while the couple got ready, Zach had made sure everyone on the aircraft (excluding Christina) knew that Graham would open the door and jump out solo at 5,000 ft. So, to her bewilderment, Christina watched as Graham opened the airplane door and jumped out without a word. 🛩️ As Christina was falling through the air at 120mph, Graham was already on the ground waiting with his precious cargo for her to come back down to earth. After skydiving nearly 13,000ft, Christina had one more surprise coming, as Graham got on one knee and asked her to marry him.