We're Going to the Chapel!

Most couples say that God brought them together, but in a very literal sense we met because of our faith while we were both studying at Duke Divinity School. Our first conversation was shared at a pig pickin' commemorating the life of St. Charles King and Martyr in January 2023 and we properly argued over which state grows the best peaches (Annalise thinks South Carolina has better ones) and which style of barbeque is the best (John seems to like smothering pork in ketchup and molasses). To this day we haven’t settled either argument - but in the smoke of the bonfire our deep love began to form. At Annalise’s birthday party a few weeks later our playful banter continued, and we both first started to realize that there was more between us than just quick wits who had finally met their match. From that night our relationship continued to blossom through early morning study sessions and evenings spent watching the Outer Banks with Annalise’s roommate Katie. By early March, thanks to the encouragement of our mutual friend Zach Berry (despite Annalise making Zach swear not to tell John she was interested in him) John officially asked Annalise out on a date in the super romantic setting of the divinity cafe. Without looking up from her computer Annalise quickly told him no, only to blink a few times and say yes a few seconds later, realizing what he had just smoothly slipped into a conversation about her work schedule. We’ve been smitten since that first date. That first summer, we survived our distant Field Education Placements (thanks for that Daniel Corpening), and upon returning to Durham we both knew that we had found the person we wanted to be with forever. On February 22nd, 2025, two years after sparks first flew at Annalise’s birthday party, John and Annalise went to the North Carolina Museum of Art where John got down on a knee and muttered the nine most important words of his life: “I love you so much, will you marry me?” Annalise, careful to not reprise her mistake from when John first asked her out, said yes through tears, laughter, and the flurry of camera shutters from friends who were in on the surprise. That moment in the sculpture garden, under the Carolina sky, felt like the culmination of everything our relationship has been: a little unexpected, full of joy, surrounded by love, and grounded in something deeper than either of them could quite put into words. Since that day, their love has continued to grow—not in the flashy ways of romance movies, but in the steady, sacred rhythms of everyday life. From morning coffee shared in silence before class, to snowy walks with our dog Lt. Dan, to long theological debates that start in jest and end in adoration, our life together has been marked by a profound sense of calling to choose, over and over, to show up for each other with grace, laughter, and barbecue opinions firmly intact. And now, as we prepare to step into this next chapter—surrounded by our families, communities, and the God who really did bring us together—we do so with the same commitment that’s marked our journey from the start: to love faithfully, to argue kindly (especially about peaches), and to never forget that it all began with a pig pickin’ and a spark.