We met at fifteen. Two teenagers from rival high schools who somehow found their way to each other. Instead of sharing hallways, we learned how to grow separately while growing together, a balance that took an incredible amount of trust at such a young age. Over the past seven years, our relationship has been steady, joyful, and unwavering. Since then, we’ve tackled birthdays, holidays, two high school graduations, three college graduations, career changes, and even bought our first house together. And, of course, we’ve raised our Australian Shepherd, Sophie, our six-year-old fluffy shadow and certified best girl. Most recently, we welcomed our golden retriever puppy, Willow, into our family, completing our little pack in the sweetest, most chaotic way. On our seven-year anniversary, our story reached a moment we’ll never forget. Gaige planned what I thought was a simple, relaxing getaway to one of our favorite places, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He suggested a quick stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take “cute anniversary pictures” with my old camera. Totally normal. I had no idea he had been secretly coordinating with our friend, who also happens to be our past photographer, to surprise me with a proposal at the top of the mountain. She pretended to be a sightseeing hiker and followed us behind the entire way, completely unnoticed. On the hike up, I even joked about how out of place we must’ve looked in our nice clothes while everyone else wore athletic gear. At one point, an older couple stopped us to say how adorable we looked and even asked if we were getting married at the top. Meanwhile, Gaige was probably sweating bullets… and I still didn’t suspect a thing. The proposal was absolutely magical: a perfect moment in a place that means so much to us, followed by a cozy weekend getaway to soak it all in. As we step into marriage, we’re excited to keep growing the love and partnership we started when we were fifteen. We knew early on that we were “it” for each other, that we wanted to navigate all of life’s highs and lows side by side! And while we like to think we make a pretty great team, we definitely couldn’t have done it without our incredible community cheering us on, supporting us, and loving us through every chapter! Every person here has played a role, big or small, in shaping who we are, both individually and as a couple! We are endlessly grateful, and we cannot wait to celebrate this next milestone with all of you!