We're Getting Married!

The couple met online on Bumble (a dating app). They talked for some time until they decided they wanted to meet officially. Emanuel asked Carolyn to a baseball game because he knew how much she liked baseball. However, they decided to meet sooner for coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, where they talked for hours! They collectively felt they knew each other and had been in each other's lives forever. Later that week, they went out to the baseball game. The date went so well that they went to a diner to continue talking. They eventually decided they wanted to commit to an exclusive relationship after dating further (though Carolyn did not exactly clue Emanuel in on this until later). However, June 18th, 2021, would be the date they both knew they were committed to dating one another and seeing if this would ultimately lead to marriage. Though, if you were to ask Emanuel, the early weeks of their dating were when he fell for Carolyn because of the woman she was and the conversations they had had that night. Carolyn felt the same way because she had shared as much with her two best friends and her parents the next day.

A day to remember... You might get a slightly different story if you ask Carolyn or Emanuel. However, the story goes that Carolyn almost did not show up to her proposal, which Emanuel meticulously planned. It had been a long day—a long week—Carolyn is a teacher, after all. However, after several outfit changes (for Carolyn), she decided she would go to "dinner" to meet friends of the couple. Upon arriving, Emanuel stated that the friends were running late and encouraged her to check out the cool bookstore/wine bar. (If you do not already know, Carolyn loves books!). After several promptings, Emanuel finally got Carolyn over to the Romance section of the bookstore, complete with a Beauty and the Beast mural that he set up (as Carolyn loves Disney and loved Beauty and the Beast as a kid). It was then that he proposed while secretly being recorded. After realizing they are in public (due to outpouring cheers from onlookers at the bar), Emanuel leads them to "dinner," a secret room in the back filled with just about all their closest friends. After taking some pictures and some shock (and relief from Emanuel) wearing off, they go out for a nice dinner to celebrate with their friends!

As the couple (and their loved ones) eagerly await their wedding date, their wedding day is a day to celebrate a marriage and covenant between a man and a woman. However, it is not the "Happily Ever After" or the end. It is a day they get to profess their love and commitment to one another in front of family and close friends of the couple. It marks a new chapter in their love story as they become husband and wife, enjoy life's adventures as a married couple, and hopefully continue to glorify God through their union and ministry together! Thank you to all who will be a part of such a joyous day!