Our story began the way all great love stories do - at MMA. Neither of us were looking for love, and as usual, we found it anyway. We talked for the first time when Coach paired us together and never stopped. He body-slammed me and I thought, “I have to get to know this guy.” We went to dinner, and the rest is history.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in May, and my girlfriends and I planned on having a picnic at my favorite spot at the park. Naturally, we decided to dress cute (for selfies), so we were all trekking through red South Carolina dirt in dresses and nice shoes. I should’ve known that they were up to something when they decided to have a picnic in 90° weather. Little did I know that just around the bend, where the trees made way for a small beach oasis, Julian was waiting, alone in the middle of the sand, to ask me the most important question of our lives. He was playing my riding playlist (yes, I have a motorcycle), and had all our pictures together laid out on a blanket. In spite of the fact that we were all drenched in sweat, it was so romantic. It was perfect.