So glad you're here!

Our story starts in May of 2023, with a mutual best friend. After many months of consistent pestering, Skylar finally got Rachel to make the trip from New Jersey to visit lovely Greenville, South Carolina. With an itinerary in hand, they were set for a weekend full 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 tons of fun stories about. And he was haaandsome! He and Rachel veryyy 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 one heck of a night. 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 before too long, 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 she was crazy. So, then and there, at their table in a little Mexican restaurant, she booked her flights. This was either going to be an unbelievable adventure or an absolute trainwreck... Well, spoiler alert, spending five days, one-on-one, 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 pieces of history, seaside fun and excursions, and a LOT of wine -- 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 trips between NJ and GVL as the two tackled long distance. With a few stars aligning for work and school and a whole lot of Grant poking and prodding Rachel, she'd finally pack up and move her life Greenville. The rest is history!