We’re getting married!

I knew Stuart would be someone special to me from our very first date. He had the most charming smile, asked meaningful questions, told the right jokes, and made me feel calm with his quiet confidence. As time went on we became inseparable and Stuart continued to show up for me in every way. He was consistent, kind, loving, and always paying attention to the details. Early on I mentioned that I loved having fresh flowers in my home - since then, my vase has never been empty! He has continued to treat me the same way as when we first started dating - surprising me with tickets to a show I love, going on walks with me even when he's tired, bringing home my favorite flavor of bubble tea even when I didn't ask for it. I could go on for pages! It's this thoughtfulness and care that really made me fall in love with Stuart. He showed me with his actions that he was my biggest supporter, my peace in difficult times, and my best friend. I'm so grateful for how naturally our lives came together and how each next step in our relationship has always felt right. I'm lucky to have found such a handsome, fun, intelligent, wonderful person to spend my life with :).

For our first date, I gave her three bar options. She chose none of them. That should've been my first clue that she was going to do things her way. It didn't matter to me where we met for the first date. What mattered was how funny she was, and how much I could make her laugh. No scripted first-date question like most DC dates go - we live in Virginia anyway... From the beginning, I had a good feeling. This beautiful woman was someone I wanted to share adventures with, to chase the best food with - though I had no idea the best meals I would end up eating was her home cooking! The first time I knew I loved her, we were on our way to see the cherry blossoms in DC. In the middle of our drive there, my car's fuel pump gave out in the middle of record-breaking traffic. A 4-hour wait for a tow truck turned our date into a real situation. I begged her to take an Uber and go enjoy the day without me, but she refused. She stayed by my side the entire time. She made it clear this wasn't my problem - it was ours. That moment stuck with me. Her loyalty, her patience (sometimes), her grace - it was love, clear as day. There wasn't just one moment I knew I wanted to marry Irene. It was a collection of them. Traveling together to visit my family in Northern Ireland and Texas. Eating out Korean BBQ, where if I'm being honest, sometimes she looks like she loves the food more than she loves me. The inside jokes. The little competitions where she never lets me win (easily). The laughter, the arguments, the tenderness, the resilience - it's all part of this beautiful great thing we've built. I've never met anyone like her. And my God...there's no one more beautiful.