From Marilee's perspective: Shortly after graduating from Mississippi State in May 2022, I packed up and moved to Wilmington, NC to start my first full-time job as a meteorologist in news. I had never been to Wilmington until the day I arrived, and I didn’t know a single soul there. It was a complete reset, a fresh start, and the fulfillment of a dream I had worked so hard for. My job was my priority, and I wasn’t looking for any distractions. Life was good. I was doing my thing, living my dream, and honestly had zero interest in anything that might tie me down. Over time, I became close friends with my co-worker Emily Wright. We spent a lot of time together inside and outside of work, and since I was always third-wheeling her and her husband, Emily loved suggesting friends I “just had to meet.” Nine times out of ten, I shot those suggestions down. Partly because I wasn’t interested, and partly because all her friends were under 21. I told her that I was absolutely not dating anyone under the age of 21 as an independent working professional. (For reference, Emily and I are two years apart, so at the time she and her friends were 20, and I was 23.) One Saturday night after a long day of news and weather reporting, Emily and I went to Whole Foods, grabbed cheesecake and wine, and headed to her apartment to unwind. We were sitting there, enjoying our treats, when Emily suddenly blurts out, “BRIDGER!” I was like, “Uhh… what?” She immediately pulls out her phone and says, “I’m texting him right now. You HAVE to meet my friend Bridger.” Then she launches into this whole spiel about how perfect we’d be for each other. Of course, I resisted. My first question was, “Is he 20 like you?” She grinned and said, “NO—he actually just turned 21 last week!” Since he cleared my age requirement, I agreed to give it a shot. (Not sure why Bridger agreed to meet me. We'll have to ask him lol) Emily set up a double date about a month later. In the weeks leading up to it, she’d randomly say things like, “I can’t wait for you and Bridger to get married.” I’d roll my eyes and laugh it off because… come on. Bridger and I had zero contact before that night. No texts, no calls, no social media, nothing. So this was a completely blind date. I hadn’t been on a first date in quite some time, so the nerves were nerving. We met in Downtown Wilmington on a random Saturday night in March of 2023 for dinner at the marina and then went bar hopping afterward. And honestly? We had the BEST time. Everything felt so natural and easy. Safe to say, we really hit it off, and the rest is history. I would have never dreamed that this random guy my friend set me up with in a random city I was just filling contract requirements in actually would be the person that I'd marry. Looking back now, it’s amazing to see how intentional the Lord has been with the places He’s taken me and the people He’s placed in my path. Wilmington wasn’t my first choice, but wow am I glad that it wasn’t up to me. Those two years turned out to be the biggest blessing I could have ever imagined. Bridger is the absolute love of my life, and I am so thankful for the way our story played out. Here we are, three years later planning our wedding.