So glad you're here!

Our story starts in 2023, with a mutual best friend and a trip for Rachel from New Jersey to visit Skylar in Greenville, South Carolina. With an itinerary in hand, they were set for a weekend of fun. A walk beside the Reedy and ice cream from Jeni's kicked it off, as they caught up and shared in lots of laughs. Who would've thought that next day would change their lives? From practicing sutures over coffee, to brunch at Up on the Roof, and a pottery class at Hollowed Earth -- what more could you ask from a GVL girl's weekend? Later on, Skylar, Riley, and Rachel were out on the town, and along came Grant, the ~other~ best friend, who Rachel had heard plenty of stories about. And he was handsome! He and Rachel quickly hit it off. Grant conferred with Skylar, and she gave him the go-ahead. With a couple more stops and a late-night swim, the crew had a night to remember. As per the itinerary, the next day they were headed to the lake! No shortage of sunshine and great times -- the sparks continued to fly all day long, Rachel and Grant were already just smitten. Come Tuesday, Rachel was headed back to NJ, but was sure to get Grant's number from Skylar, leading into the next few weeks of getting to know one another over countless phone calls and facetimes...

Surely, the next logical step is to ask your new love interest to meet up in France the following month, right? Unsure of whether it was crazier for Grant to have asked or for her to be considering it, Rachel let him ask a couple more times before bringing it to a lunch date with her brother. To her surprise, Zach didn't think it was that crazy. So, then and there, at a table in a little Mexican restaurant, she booked her flights. It was either going to be an unbelievable adventure or an absolute trainwreck. Well, spoiler alert, spending five days, in a beautiful coastal city, getting to know someone goes pretty wonderfully when you are soulmates. The coming days filled up with long walks to viewpoints and historical sites, seaside fun and excursions, and plenty of rosé from the little corner store near the beach -- among so many other memories that will forever bring them joy. Naturally, to maintain that cadence, the lovebirds picked up cheap rings from a market, and a white dress from a little boutique, and headed to the chapel!... To take photos to fake an elopement to their friends and families! Haha! Prank. There were quite a few flights as the two tackled long distance. With a few stars aligning between work and grad school — and a whole lot of Grant poking and prodding Rachel — she'd finally pack up and move to Greenville. The rest is history!