10 . 10 . 2020

It was the summer of 2016 and it was a hot one! Shelton had just bought a beautiful home on the Southside of Richmond, and his two best buds, TD and Dan, were about to move in. Emily had just moved home from Charleston, South Carolina and was settling into the Richmond groove nicely. They were celebrating Jill Hoover’s birthday on the 4th of July. After the Bellona Boomers dazzled the crowds and the ice cream truck left, a few of Dani and TD’s friends gathered up in the kitchen to say their goodbyes. While Emily and Shelton had not yet met, she knew he was one of TD’s closest friends and was very interested to find out more about the man behind the hair. She had made plans to head out to Seattle to sightsee and catch some of her favorite band’s summer tour. Knowing TD and his crew would be heading west too, she walked right up to Shelton in the kitchen to ask if he’d be joining. Unfortunately, Shelton had to handle the closing of his house, and wouldn’t be making it to the West coast until just after she had gone. He was excited to visit his sister Hennessy in California, and catch a few shows too. After that, they often spoke when they saw each other out, but it wasn’t until Shelton called Emily up one morning in November and asked if she’d like to go see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. They met for drinks at Pasture, then went to the coliseum to have their minds blown by heavy metal Christmas music and pyrotechnics. They jokingly called it TSO, a play on one of their favorite bands DSO (Dark Star Orchestra). Many shows, group hangouts, and formal dates later, Shelton finally locked it down with Emily, kicking off January 2017 right! Shelton got his wonderful pup Dylan in March, and Emily moved in a year later. Shelton gave Emily the surprise of a lifetime when he proposed the night before her birthday in 2019. They were at Max’s on Broad, and were so excited, they have no recollection of what they ordered and ate for dinner… But it was the best night ever!