Some love stories start with long walks on the beach… ours started with loud music, flashing lights, and questionable dance moves. It was a Saturday night in 2016, just another evening out in Charlotte. After weekend plans changed last minute, Kristy and her best friend Aeryn decided to go to the bar, Oak Room. Josh also went to Oak Room that night with a friend. Unfortunately, his friend couldn't get in due to his attire, but Josh, being the extrovert that he is, decided to brave the night solo. Both were there by chance, and neither went into the night exactly searching for “the one.” Then, across the dance floor, Josh spotted Kristy and Aeryn, completely in their own world, pretending they knew how to dance. Josh decided to join in — and against all odds, Kristy didn’t shoo him away. By the end of the night, they had traded numbers and felt like something special had just happened. They hung out every weekend after that — though the dancing mysteriously disappeared. By November, Josh asked Kristy to be his girlfriend. Now, they’d love to say it was smooth sailing from there… but life had other plans. Not to fear, though, they found their way back to each other. Turns out, sometimes love just needs an encore. Fast forward to Christmas Eve 2024. Kristy, ever impatient when it comes to surprises, asked Josh if they could open presents early. Josh caved (a little) and said she could open just one gift. Inside was a pair of Nike shoes she had been eyeing for months. Josh told her to try them on, so she slipped on one shoe and walked around—the perfect fit. Then came Josh’s casual suggestion: “You should try on the other one too.” As Kristy reached inside to pull out what she thought was one of those cardboard shoe inserts, she realized it wasn’t stiff paper at all… it was a ring box. Our beloved Oak Room may have changed names since we first locked eyes, but we couldn’t resist visiting the exact spot on the dance floor where it all began (picture below).