E+R

Ethan and Rachel’s story began in December of 2018, when a swipe on a dating app turned into something much more. At the time, Ethan was a freshman at Limestone University and Rachel was a sophomore at Spartanburg Community College. Though the timing wasn’t right to meet in person—Ethan was in Tennessee for Christmas break while Rachel was home in South Carolina—they spent the month getting to know each other through endless texts and late-night FaceTime calls. After weeks of long-distance conversations, they were finally able to meet when Ethan returned to South Carolina on January 6, 2019. Their first date didn’t quite go as planned. Ethan hit traffic on the drive back, which made him three hours late, and their dinner plans at a Mexican restaurant had to be scrapped. Instead, they ended up at Applebee’s, where dinner was shared with the background of the SEC Championship game (which Rachel was more interested in watching!). But when Ethan dropped Rachel off, neither of them wanted the evening to end. What began as a quick goodbye turned into hours of conversation that stretched late into the night. The very next day, Ethan and Rachel set out on another adventure together. Ethan drove Rachel to her hometown of Pickens, South Carolina, where she introduced him to her friends and showed him the breathtaking view from Bald Rock. That night, they finally enjoyed the Mexican dinner they had planned for their very first date. From that weekend forward, Ethan and Rachel knew they had found something special. What started with a simple swipe, a delayed first date, and a SEC football grew into a love that only deepened with time. And now, they can’t wait to begin the next chapter of their story—marriage.