We first met in July 2023 in North Augusta, shortly after my dad passed away. Emily had been roommates with my sister Amelia at college a few years earlier, and Emily accompanied Amelia back home to attend the funeral with her. Amelia had told Emily a little about me and the rest of my family, but we met in person for the first time that week. I remember the first time I saw her: I was struck by her beauty and the kindness and grace (her well-chosen middle name) that radiated from her. She was so kind to all of us and so easy to talk to, always looking out for ways to be a help and comfort. That night, when she needed someone to show her where her Airbnb was, I very very quickly volunteered. When we got there, I helped unload her bags from the car. As I waited for her to get to the door, I felt my heart beating fast, and I wondered if I'd ever see her again after that week. After the funeral, Emily gave each one of my family a sympathy note. And then she went back home to North Carolina, and that seemed to be the end of it. About three months later, on a Saturday, my friend Jordan's wife Katie met Emily at a mutual friend's baby shower in Gilbert, South Carolina. And at church the next day, Katie told me about meeting Emily and very strongly suggested that I should call her. So that night we had our first phone call and set up our first date! The first date led to a second, and by the second date I knew she was the one. After the holidays came and went, the dates increased in frequency, and we both became certain that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I bought the ring in March and waited impatiently for the right time to propose. In late April I began to plan it out with Emily's family and friends. On May 10, I drove up to Salisbury. I'd given Emily the impression that I'd be unable to visit her that weekend. I parked at her grandparents' church, and Graddy (Emily's grandfather) picked me up and brought me to the house. We got there about 20 minutes before Emily was due to get home from work. So I stayed out of sight in the backyard until I heard her car pull into the driveway and park. Once she went inside the house, I moved over to the gazebo in the backyard and waited. Inside the house, Emily still thought it was a regular Friday afternoon. But Graddy came up with an excuse to get Emily to go back outside. Emily walked outside and saw me and stopped. I could tell she immediately knew what was going on. She stood there for a few seconds, looking at me, starting to giggle adorably. Then she walked down the path to me. I hugged her, and then I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Shortly after this, her friends and family arrived to celebrate with us. We are both so amazed at how God's providence has brought us here, and we are so excited to having you all celebrate with us as we commit to love each other the rest of our days!