we’re getting married!

Before the arrival of Sigma Phi-Lambda’s upcoming semi-formal in November of 2022, the bride mentioned to her prayer group that she did not have a date to go with her. A mutual friend of the bride and groom, Aurora Villareal, was in that group and said she had the perfect guy to go with her (and she was right). Although Madeline was hesitant at first, she eventually agreed. She was shown his outdated instagram posts, his freshman Corps cut, and she listened to Aurora promise her he was a great guy. As soon as Aurora got back to Texas A&M’s campus, she went straight to Caleb’s room. She asked him if he would go with one of her friends to the upcoming dance, and Caleb agreed after asking “oh the pretty one?” after seeing a picture of Madeline. He even surprised himself by saying yes. A photo of Caleb and Aurora giving a thumbs up was then sent to the prayer group’s group chat as a signal that this set-up was actually happening. From there, the bride and groom’s story officially began. As time went on, Aurora was the perfect wingwoman: she sent Madeline photo’s of how ‘tall’ he was, kept Madeline updated on his thoughts, and even pushed Caleb to finally meet his future bride. On October 28, 2022, he did just that: the two met at The Flight of the Great Pumpkin on the quad. Madeline was dressed as a Taylor Swift cover, and Caleb wore comfortable clothing, having been pulled away in the middle of his “very important” study session. Their conversations amongst one another were short, and awkward, and Caleb eventually left to be with his friends. Madeline and Caleb both did not think anything more than a date to semi-formal was going to come out of this (they were very wrong). Little did Caleb know, the very next night, Aurora had invited both Madeline and her roommate Madison to sit with her in the Corps section for a football game. Madeline and Madison were introduced to the majority of the F2 company’s 2025 class, and despite the plan, there were only quick hellos between Madeline and Caleb. He was much more interested in the game in front of him (an exceptional Aggie he is). That was until the fourth quarter when Aurora texted the future groom to come stand by his future bride, and Caleb fortunately agreed. They talked about football, Marvel characters, and a little bit about the upcoming semi-formal until the very end of the game. They said quick goodbyes, and Aurora immediately told Madeline she would get Caleb to text her. On the other hand, Caleb was actually getting excited for the dance. A week passed, and when that Friday’s midnight yell was cancelled, Madeline got a text on November 4, 2022. After calming his nerves, Caleb had sent: “Hey Madeline this is Caleb, do you think you’d be free Friday to get a bite to eat or get coffee? Just so we can talk a little bit before the formal?” Madeline absolutely freaked! But she answered calmly, asking if the next weekend worked, because she was going home the weekend he texted about. Fortunately, that worked for Caleb. So, on November 12, 2022, Caleb and Madeline went to Sweet Eugene’s. They spoke about their love for God and their families and friends, similar interests, their majors and what brought them to A&M, and other fun things. Madeline got to hear about Caleb’s many moves around the country, and Caleb got to hear about Madeline’s cozy Texas life. Eventually, their time was up as they both had places to be. Caleb gave Madeline a quick hug goodbye and they went their separate ways. The future bride was now getting her hopes up, excited for the possibility of dating this guy she was genuinely starting to like. The future groom had the same thoughts: “I might actually want to date this girl”. They continued to text throughout the weekend before saying goodnight to each other that same night as they mentioned they both were going to church in the morning and needed rest. To both their surprises, they would end up at the same church: Grace Anderson.

Unknowingly, Madeline walked into the 11am college service and looked to her left. Sitting in one of the rows was Caleb praying before the start of the service. Madeline called out his name, and he sat up to smile at her. The future bride would soon find out that Caleb was actually praying over the possibility of their future relationship, making sure they were taking the right steps. That Sunday, they sat beside one another the whole service. Finally, the night of semi-formal arrived on November 18, 2022. Madeline was a little anxious getting ready, but she was also excited to get to know Caleb in a different setting. Only a few hours after she got dressed, Caleb picked her up. There, it seemed as though the bride and groom were already dating. They flirted, took some of their first photos together, danced, and got to know one another even more. Madeline even gifted Caleb a notebook to write church notes in due to him mentioning he wanted one only a few days earlier. He still has it to this day. Not to mention, the two almost kissed on the balcony of the venue as they got closer to one another, but while Madeline thought it would be awkward (because the entire prayer group was looking up at them), Caleb wanted to. They decided to keep those thoughts to themselves though. As the dance came to a close, Caleb convinced Madeline to join him and most of the F-2 company for midnight yell considering semi-formal fell on the night before a football game. Caleb COMPLETELY knew what he was doing (if you are an Aggie, you know too). They picked up a quick snack before heading straight to the quad. There, the bride got to meet some of the groom’s closest buddies, learned more interests that the two had in common, and Aurora allowed her to wear some of her warm clothes for midnight yell considering it was freezing outside. The group made their way to Kyle Field where they ended up getting seats on the first deck. Madeline and Caleb stood close together as the company filled almost two rows. They went through the different yells, listened to the various stories the yell leaders had to tell, and fortunately laughed together at the various things that arose in conversation. Madeline also learned exactly how the Corps acts with various yells. Then, as the second to last yell concluded, the lights of the field shut off. The fire from people’s lighters appeared throughout most of the stadium, and the groom pulled the bride closer to his side. If you are not an Aggie, here is a little background: as the lights go dark at midnight yell, you usually kiss your date or have a light to show you are single and open for that. Caleb and Madeline both knew of this. Although Madeline was a little surprised, she turned to him and asked “you really want to?”. From there, Caleb nodded with a small shrug. They kissed, to the shock of many, and that same night, they officially started dating. If you ask them their anniversary date, they will say November 19, 2022. That is only because they made it official after midnight yell once Caleb dropped Madeline back off at her apartment. As time went on, Caleb and Madeline realized they were being led to a new chapter in their lives. So, after multiple conversations, planning, and praying, Caleb proposed to Madeline on February 21st, 2025 underneath the century tree — a testament to their hopeful future. Surrounded by amazing friends and family, they celebrated throughout the night at the following engagement party. It was the absolute best time, both individuals ecstatic that this was actually happening. Over the past 3 years, their relationship has truly grown. They could not be more grateful for the support and guidance they have been given from intentional friends, family, the relationships they look up to, and of course, God. We both could not be more excited to reach a new milestone and celebrate with those exact people. It has been a journey, and we are so ready to continue it forever.