Emily and Colby have known each other since the early years of grade school, sharing many of the same friends and childhood memories. By sixth grade, they found themselves in the same classes — and that’s when Emily’s crush began. That year, Emily’s dad jokingly gave Colby the nickname ‘Cheese Boy,’ and her friends quickly adopted it as their secret code name for him. (Yes, it stuck for a while!) Though they ran in the same circles through the years, their paths didn’t truly align until senior year of high school. That’s when their love story began. On the very first day of senior year, after football practice, Colby surprised Emily by waiting at her car after volleyball. With a grin, he asked her out. Shocked (and maybe a little flustered), Emily replied, “I’ll think about it.” A week later, the two went on their first date — a double date with friends, driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. On September 12th, 2015, they officially started dating and spent their senior year falling in love. College brought seasons of change and growth, but when Emily moved back to Asheville a year after graduation, fate had other plans. One evening, she and Colby took a drive back up the Blue Ridge Parkway, retracing the route of their very first date. Not long after, they decided to start a new chapter together, and ended up moving into their first apartment in Asheville, NC. Nearly a decade after their very first date, on a snowy winter morning at the Biltmore Estate, Colby got down on one knee. & through joyful tears, Emily said YES! We are so excited to celebrate our love story and the start of our marriage with all of you in our hometown — the place where it all began. It will be the backdrop for a weekend filled with love, joy, and memories to last a lifetime. With love, Emily & Colby ♥