Jon Michael and Hillary first crossed paths at a house party in Oxford, MS thrown in celebration of their mutual friends' 21st birthday party (shout-out to the Eidt sisters for introducing us all those years ago!). Though there were never any romantic sparks throughout their college years, there were always shenanigans to be had as their paths continued to intertwine over the course of many wild house parties. Before their first official date in 2018, Hillary fondly remembered Jon Michael as "the kid who twerked upside down on a fridge at Beer Olympics." Lol. Fast forward to 2018, and Hillary and Jon Michael were living completely separate lives 300 miles apart. It was a fateful business trip to Tupelo (and a right swipe on Bumble) that reunited their paths. Jon Michael was home for the holidays visiting his family, and Hillary was in the area for work, when they decided to take a chance on a coffee date at Strange Brew. After successfully caffeinating and catching up on life post-college, Hillary headed home to Memphis with a cute boy at the forefront of her mind. Jon Michael must have also been thinking about Hill, because he asked her out on an official dinner date the following weekend (December 1st - this is important!). After what became officially the longest first date ever, including a trip to IHOP for post-dinner coffee, a visit to Hill's new (empty) apartment, a collaborative effort on assembling a side table, and one malfunctioning fuel pump in JM's truck (stranding them at Hill's apartment until JM's dad could come to their rescue at 3AM), the two were completely inseparable. Jon Michael had to head home to Bogalusa, LA the next day on zero sleep, but Hill must have made quite the impression on him, because he continued to make that six hour drive to Memphis as often as he could. After a year of dating long distance, they moved in together when Jon Michael secured a job in Memphis. Their love has only continued to grow throughout getting engaged, surviving the pandemic, buying a house together, and navigating first-time homeowner woes, like TWO trees falling on their roof! With that memorable first date in mind, they decided to bring it full circle and tie the knot on December 1st, 2023 - five years to the day that they fell for each other. They will be married in an intimate civil ceremony with family and close friends, but the Watson family has graciously extended the celebration to friends and family with a good old fashioned throw-down on December 30th, 2023! Join us for a fun-filled party to celebrate us doin' the damn thing and officially becoming "The Watsons!" No fridge is safe from twerking! We love y'all and hope you can make it!