Cheers to getting married!

Marlee and Charlie first met way back in 2009 at Dunwoody High School. They fell into the same friend group and soon found they got along great. They became good friends who thoroughly enjoyed bickering with each other, almost like a married couple! Not only did Charlie ask Marlee to Junior Prom, but to Senior Prom as well. Alas, despite Charlie's best efforts they graduated high school and left for college still very much just friends.

College came and went and Charlie had made little progress in his pursuit. After joining the Marine Corps and moving to California, Charlie was faced with the mission of finding a date for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. Charlie knew there was only one person he could ask: old faithful Mar. Marlee accepted, confidently telling everyone she believed they were going as 'just friends'. After a few fun days in southern California, Marlee stood corrected. It was hard for Marlee and Charlie to deny that they were feeling like more than ‘just friends’. They agreed that they definitely shouldn't date because long distance wouldn't work...that would be crazy, right? But their better instincts prevailed and they quickly decided to date anyway.

From southern California to Tuscaloosa and then College Station to Okinawa, long distance was the name of the game for Charlie and Marlee's love story. Weekend visits and family vacations brought the two of them together for many fun adventures while they were separated. They made some of their best memories during these years: hermit crab racing in St Croix, eating foot-long ballpark dogs, and winning 1st place in grape stomping competitions. When they were apart, they shared dinner dates over zoom and exchanged emails while Charlie was at sea. Needless to say, the day when they would finally live in the same time zone couldn’t come soon enough.

Eventually, Marlee and Charlie (along with the dog and cat, Charleston and Marvin) moved in together in sunny San Diego, California. They had faced the many obstacles that a long-distance, military relationship posed and overcame them all. But new challenges presented themselves, like the merging of two interior design styles (if you can call what Charlie considered ‘design’ a style…), the lack of a dishwasher (and Marlee’s aversion to washing dishes in general), and the realization that the dog and cat were less than thrilled about living together. While the animals struggled to forge a new friendship, Charlie began to move forward with his elaborate proposal plot. It all came together perfectly despite it being the only night it rained in San Diego all year long. He surprised Marlee on the beach with a ring, a question, and both of their families. Marlee of course said “yes”, which brings us to today and the opportunity to celebrate with all of you!