Our story begins in 2021. We first met in August at a young adults church group in Orange County. There was an immediate spark, and the next day Kayla adventured to Balboa Island where Elliot lived and stopped by to say "hi" once more before she returned to Dallas. It was a short visit, but it was all we needed to know this was the start of something special. In November, Elliot couldn't take it any longer and even though it was 6 weeks in advance, asked Kayla to go on a date with him in January when she would be visiting a friend for New Years back in Orange County. She said yes! Through December, texting, calling, and FaceTimes were frequent and lasted for hours every evening. We couldn't wait for our first date and to spend time together in person. January took forever to arrive, but it did, and our first date was magical: Charcuterie and champagne in the sand watching the sunset. It was the perfect night, and since she was in town for a week, we put another date on the books, and another, and another. After a few dates that week, we went to the beach on Balboa Island to watch the sunset again, but this time Elliot had ulterior motives. He set up some flowers and candles and asked Kayla to be his girlfriend on January 9th 2022. So long distance began. For 9 months we dated long distance, traveling back and forth, Elliot to Dallas (for the first time at that!), and Kayla to Newport Beach (just an hour South of where she grew up!). Our love grew with each visit and in September, Kayla moved to Newport Beach, having secured a job promotion that could bring her closer to Elliot. Little did she know a plan was in motion, and two months later in November Elliot would propose on the same sand where he asked her to be his girlfriend almost a year prior. Her family and friends made the trip out and we celebrated the best day of our lives with so many of amazing people around us. Today, we are so so so excited to be celebrating an even better day with each of you, the day we get married. We can't wait to see y'all in Dallas, Texas in a few short months!

It was the beautiful sunny Saturday morning of November 19th. TCU was playing Baylor in a nail biter and Elliot was channeling all of his nervous energy into the game. Kayla would later look back and realize Elliot seemed a bit more excited for TCU football than usual, but in the moment it was perfect as the Frogs won by one to maintain their perfect season! We thank God they played that morning because it killed time for the first few hours of the day. The game ended and we had a date, late lunch at Gulfstream, on the books. We arrived at 2:00 PM and ate a yummy meal. Kayla ordered the artichoke, which if you have had it, you know the risk that messy finger food added to the equation for Elliot, but God had his hand on the day and no ash was left behind on their clothes. It took Elliot all his strength to force down the whole meal because his stomach was in his throat. Kayla, happily enjoying her artichoke, did not question Elliot's behavior, but rather just enjoyed being on a date that beautiful Saturday afternoon. Promptly at 3:45PM they left and embarked back to the island for the proposal planned for 4:00PM, to catch the early Fall sunset. In the beautiful blessing that was this day, everything went smoothly. They walked to the beach arm in arm. Elliot's mind was racing but the moment they made it to the blanket on the sand and Kayla realized what was about to happen, the world slowed down and it was just us. Elliot grabbed Kayla's hands and said the most intentional and loving words, looking into his girlfriends eyes, knowing in moments she will become his fiancé. Elliot then dropped to a knee and asked for her hand. After a few jumps up and down and furiously nodding her head, Kayla said yes and leapt into his arms. Success!! Our parents and a photographer emerged and we soaked in the moment together, taking photos, smiling, laughing, and crying. It was perfect. After, we had a surprise party with all of our friends and family to keep the celebration going. All of which was a surprise to Kayla. Her best friends and family had alibis pointing them to different parts of the country that night. When Elliot and Kayla walked in, she was so surprised to see all the faces of those they love smiling back at them! More tears. The rest of the evening consisted of lots of hugs, sharing stories and laughs, toasts, and of course, eating cake. November 19th was a slice of Heaven.