We met in September of 2021 during orientation of Heidi's freshman year and Michael's junior year at a choir event at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. Music brought us together as friends, but it was months later before we really became close. Only in March at Michael’s fraternity formal did he ask her to be his girlfriend. A friendship turned into flirtation, which transformed into dating for two and a half years. In May of 2022, Heidi asked her mom, "How do you know if you're in love?" Her step-father, Joe, replied "When it hurts when you leave him. When it's tough to breathe thinking about not having him in your life. When your heart feels relaxed when you are with him. In other words, you know." Little did Heidi know, Michael was asking Google the same question, coming up with similar answers. And when Heidi left Lexington for the summer, she cried all the way home. It certainly hurt to be without Michael. Back in Lex, Michael was feeling her absence. That was May. In June, Heidi visited Michael and up on a mountain ridge he told her that he loved her for the first time. In August, Michael visited Heidi in her home in Sanibel, FL, and there Heidi’s mom predicted that Michael would be her son-in-law. Through international travel with choir and cross-country trips with their a cappella group, learning about each others' faith, discerning careers, and many all-nighters doing homework and studying, we have truly become best friends. We cannot imagine a world in which we have to live without each other. In Heidi's words, "I may not know where I am going but I know who I want to be with when I get there." On August 6, 1994, Heidi's father proposed to her mother at ages 21 and 23. These W&L alums would get married in Lee Chapel the next year. On August 6, 2024, Michael proposed to Heidi in Lexington, VA exactly 30 years after her parents got engaged, at the same ages 21 and 23, and with the same diamond that Heidi's father used to propose. We are so happy that we will also have the opportunity to get married in Lee Chapel next year. We are so excited to celebrate with you all on June 7, 2025 in Lexington, VA! -Michael and Heidi (soon to be) McLaughlin