"And so they walked together to a place called forever..."

Our story is special because it started well before we were even born! Our parents knew each other as young adults, and ended up at the same church together when we were just kids. Our childhood homes were down the street from each other, so we grew up going to each other's birthday parties and attending the same church events. But things didn't *really* begin until nearly a decade later. We had lost touch after Jr. High, going to different schools and exploring different passions (Spencer was varsity water polo... Maddie was varsity book nerd). We had very little in common through high school and college, except for social media connections and shared family friends. In October of 2016, we reconnected at a memorial service for a dear member of our church family. He was the grandfather of three amazing kids we had both babysat... and turns out they had always wanted to set us up! We exchanged numbers mostly for old time's sake, and it wasn't until Christmas that we really started spending time together. We decided to go out with our mutual family friend for some festive light-looking. Sparks and jokes flew... and next thing we knew we were texting tons and heading to Disneyland all day for our first official date! After that, Spencer started visiting Maddie in L.A., and that continued on for two more years! In those early days, we bonded over shared silliness, sentimentality, spirituality... and an overall eagerness to be a part of each others' worlds. Fast forward to November 4th, 2018. We had talked about engagement by the end of the year, but Maddie thought it was a while off. Spencer had other ideas. A month before, he had asked her family's blessing, bought a ring, and made plans to surprise her with a proposal that was as sweet and simple as their dating had been. Spencer asked, Maddie said "WHAT THE HECK?!" (then yes) - and here we are! We can't wait to celebrate with you all! Thank you so much for being a part of this amazing next chapter in our story!