we're getting married!!!

I never could've predicted how my life would change after I first met Julie, but looking back it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. We met after my roommate and her big set us up for my fraternity's fall Semi-formal. That Halloween, our 'match-makers' introduced us at the local Cookout restaurant, and I'll never forget the look on her face when I ordered a chicken quesadilla tray with 2 chicken quesadillas as sides...maybe that is why it took so long for her to agree to go out with me! Anyway, sitting across the table I knew from the first time I saw her smile peaking out from underneath her head of bouncing curls that there was potential for something more meaningful then any of the past relationships I had. We had a good time getting to know each other that semester, but it wasn't until she returned after the following summer that she started to give me a chance. She wanted the time to get to know me for who I was and not just what was on the surface–for example she was the ONLY girl in her sorority house who wasn't obsessed with the fact I got a new puppy over the summer (shout-out to Sia). But I think thats what made our bond so strong from the very beginning, and there hasn't been a day that I haven't felt appreciated for simply being me since we met.

Nestor might tell you that I played "hard to get" and "kept him waiting" for over a year, but the way I see it is he wasn't like any other guy that I had met and I wanted to test the potential of what could be. All my friends told me, "Julie...he's studying to be a doctor..." or "Julie...he has a puppy..." but I needed to know for sure that he was the man that I could have a future with. He planned a weekend away in the mountains for us to camp, and to be honest, I almost didn't go. To think that he would take me into the woods where we were to sleep in a tent, on the ground, in the cold, and could have been attacked by a bear at any point...to say I was terrified was an understatement! But when he showed up outside the DZ house, dressed in a peacoat with a bouquet of blue hydrangeas (my favorite) I didn't feel scared anymore. And I knew my answer to his question before his nervous words could assemble into a coherent sentence. What I didn't expect was for him to have planned the greatest weekend itinerary to Asheville! Seriously guys...he had downtown city walks, Blue Ridge Parkway adventures, warm meals planned, and all ending with sleeping under the stars on one of the most beautiful mountain tops I've ever seen! Standing there with him the next morning, wrapped up in a quilt together with his chin resting on my shoulder from behind, watching the sunrise come over the mountain range I caught a glimpse of our future. It was beautiful.

Well I'll tell you now that she didn't expect it! 2020 had its difficulties: first was starting school again and then the pandemic happened...but Julie and I made so many other milestones that year. We had made a life for ourselves together in our little Charleston apartment. We had brought home a little sister for Sia and created our puppy family. Neither one of us could imagine sharing everything we had with anyone else and neither of us wanted to. So I took it upon myself to buy a ring and ask her parents for their blessings in the next step of our relationship. A whirlwind of planning abruptly followed that all the while keeping it a secret from her! I planned another camping weekend for us, back where I first took her when I asked her to be my girlfriend. We had been back a couple of times, but none were as memorable as what I had planned. And it all came together! On the way to Asheville, my sister called to tell me a friend of hers just moved to the city and was having difficulty finding models to assemble a local portfolio for her "new" photography business and asked if we might be available. We were already dressed for the occasion, and while Julie may have thought it was an odd request, she agreed and we met downtown for a photography session. Just before sunset, we made our way up the Blue Ridge Parkway to a mountain top Julie and I discovered during our first trip. We made our way to the ledge for final pictures before dinner and after designated instructions from the photographer, Julie turned around and I got down on my knee. I was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. All my efforts for the last several months were crescendoing to this moment and I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. The world grew silent after she turned around putting her hands to her mouth to cover her excitement. In that moment it was only us and I managed to muster the words together asking her to marry me...you could say the rest is history!

So this leads us to where we are now! Since the dinner celebration with both our families in Asheville–and perhaps the longest engagement ever–we are currently finalizing the details of our wedding! We hope that you will be able to celebrate the exchanging of our vows during Spring 2023! Further details about what the weekend entails can be found on the other pages of this website and we hope that it will answer any and all questions you might have–from schedule to travel to free-time activities to do in Charleston! We hope to share with you a little bit of the beautiful history and culture of the city in which we started our life together! Welcome to our wedding website and we hope that you will be able to celebrate with us!