We're getting married!

Maris and Nick met on New Year’s Eve—December 31, 2022—at the Vintage Sofa Bar in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Nick, who grew up just outside of Winston-Salem, was living downtown and running his first business, North State Painting. Maris had moved to the city for her clinical fellowship for speech-language pathology at Wake Forest Baptist, not expecting that a casual night out would lead to meeting the love of her life. They spent the first half of 2023 spending time together—hanging out after work and on the weekends, cooking dinner, bowling, playing golf, getting coffee and pastries, and just enjoying life together—while trying to ignore the fact that Maris would be moving somewhere by September once she completed her fellowship. In other words, things weren't very serious between them for a while. When she accepted a job at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston—just four hours away—they decided to give long-distance a try. Distance truly made the heart grow fonder and led to more intentional quality time together. Just about one month into long-distance dating, Nick told Maris he wanted to marry her. They became so excited to plan their life together and continued to deepen their love and connection. Nick proposed on July 11, 2024, on Isle of Palms Beach. He pulled off the surprise on a Thursday after work for an unsuspecting Maris and planned the perfect evening for the two of them. After a year of weekend visits between Winston-Salem and Charleston, hundreds of FaceTime calls, phone calls, and texts, Nick (and his loyal companion, Marshall) made the move to Charleston in November 2024. Nick and Maris bought their first home together in Mount Pleasant. Nick launched his second business, Breeze Painting, while Maris continued her work at MUSC. Now, they’re loving life in Charleston—exploring the city, settling into their home, and looking forward to everything the future holds together.