Chase and Emily’s journey to lifelong love began with a single swipe. Like many couples, they first connected online using the Bumble app -- their conversations abuzz with promise and excitement. After many exchanged messages and heartfelt discussions, Chase arranged a first date for himself and Emily which took place at the Hula Hut in Austin, TX. Being a true gentleman, Chase offered to pick Emily up and drive her to their destination, opening every door along the way. They sat on the water and enjoyed food, conversation, and those first-date butterflies before taking a stroll to Mozart’s Cafe next door. As the sun set, they discussed more deeply the things they both wanted most out of life over a coffee and pastry, not knowing yet that each would make the promise to fulfill those dreams, and that it would be the first night of the rest of their lives together.

In 2019, Emily had gone home to Alabama to spend some time with her family and her beloved father Trent, who had fallen quite ill. That morning of Friday June 14th, she called Chase as she always did on her way to work, just to chat before they each started their day. However, he was not awaiting the start of his normal workday, as he so cleverly led Emily to believe on the phone. Instead, while Emily drove to work, Chase sat in the Austin airport waiting to board the plane that would eventually embark to their destination of Happily Ever After. Upon leaving for the day, Emily called Chase again, and once more he convinced her he was spending a normal afternoon at his job, when in reality he was already in Alabama, being driven to their proposal destination by Emily’s mom, Donna. Emily’s mom and dad, knowing Chase was waiting there, assisted with the plan by requesting a visit to the Vulcan, a local attraction in Birmingham, under the facade of wanting to take some nice family pictures together. They knew this would not alert Emily to the surprise, as they had suggested it previously when she had visited. The three of them drove together to the Vulcan, and proceeded to make their way to the top of the statue for what Emily believed to be their family photo setting. As they stepped off the elevator, a very stunned Emily spotted Chase at the peak of the monument, and the happy tears began to fall. At that moment she knew exactly what his intentions were and why her parents had suggested the outing. With her mom and dad in attendance to witness, Chase dropped to one knee and asked Emily if she would spend the rest of her life with him, to which she excitedly replied, “Yes!” without a second of hesitation. It was one of the greatest days of their lives, and a moment made even more special by the fact that Emily’s dad was there to share in the joy with them.

Everyone has had to deal with their own personal struggles of living through this COVID-19 pandemic. For Chase and Emily, as the world shut down during March of 2020, their original wedding date of May 22nd became increasingly out of reach. After announcing the postponement of their wedding party to July 24th, they decided to commit themselves and their lives to each other on their originally planned date of ceremony. On May 22nd, 2020, Chase Andrew Freidell and Emily Edwina Turner pledged their vows to one another at a courthouse in the presence of a few close family members, and were joined in holy matrimony by a Justice of the Peace. It was a day full of love and joy, albeit on a much smaller scale than they had initially planned and with quite a few important loved ones missing. As the July party date loomed closer and the pandemic wore on, they realized that in the midst of the uncertainty that COVID-19 brought, they would need to cancel their rescheduled reception in hopes of planning a new date for it in a more safe future for all to attend. Chase and Emily’s first year of marriage has not been without challenges. In one year, they have weathered a pandemic, a few hurricanes, and an infamous winter storm that shut down the entire state of Texas. Through all of these difficulties though, their love and devotion to each other have always prevailed and shined through like a beam of hope for their bright future together. A message from the Bride and Groom: We invite you to join us for a celebration of our marriage, our love, and our commitment to each other in hopes that we can all create new wonderful memories together after a year of distancing. Thank you for your unwavering support throughout this entire journey. We love you all and cannot wait to celebrate with you! Love, Mr. and Mrs. Chase and Emily Freidell