We're Getting Married!

While I was working at Carter's in Atlanta, a co-worker of mine thought Michael and I would be a good match. She arranged for a few friends to meet up one night at our favorite going out spot, the Buckhead Bars. Michael knew he would be meeting me as a potential set up, but I just thought we were going out to meet some new friends. Michael and I hit it off right away, but when he asked me for my phone number, I decided to play hard to get and said no. Michael tried asking for my phone number on two other separate occasions, but each time I gave him the same answer: no. My change of heart came when I unexpectedly ran into him again, looking a bit more mature with a newly grown beard. I decided to ask him for his phone number, and of course, his response was the same as mine had been: no. Realizing that we were never going to get each other’s numbers directly, I decided to ask my co-worker for his number so I could reach out to him. We made plans to see each other on purpose. Our first date was at Taqueria Del Sol – a restaurant we love to this day – and we’ve been together since. We are excited to be getting married back in Atlanta – the city where it all began!

I grew up watching “Whose Line is It Anyway” with my family, and ML enjoyed watching “Let’s Make a Deal” with her dad, Donald Bagwell. After Donald passed away, we felt compelled to be contestants on LMAD and finally meet Wayne Brady together. We signed up and flew to LA in July of 2018. ML quickly found herself onstage with Wayne and started her epic win-streak. Within an hour, she had secured the grand-prize, “The Big Deal of the Day”. Multiple great prizes were included, but nothing was more exciting than the 7-day trip to Fiji. I knew that this was where I would propose… Flash forward to 2019, and our episode had finally aired. We claimed the prizes and scheduled the trip for October. I pre-planned the proposal with a photographer to capture photos of the moment, and he suggested that the resort would have plenty of scenic locations and privacy. Upon arrival, I quickly realized that privacy would be challenging. There was a constant cycle of hotel guests, staff, etc. In a panic, I cancelled the photographer to avoid forcing the moment… The morning of the proposal, we went on a all-day local Fijian village tour. It was easily one of the highlights of our trip. We went to an incredible waterfall, learned about Fijian history and customs, and enjoyed a home-cooked traditional Fijian meal. When we returned to the resort, we were eager to reminiscence about the day with a bottle of wine by the beach. To my utter shock, we found that the resort had emptied out during the day. There was not a person in sight, and ML repeatedly commented on how great the day was along with our newfound privacy. I knew that the moment was right, so I gathered the ring from the hotel safe while we relocated to a better view of the sunset. ML decided to put her new coconut-cracking skills to the test and successfully opened one up. I took a photo of her achievement as she tossed the coconut husk into the ocean. As she turned around, I was on one knee and the rest is history…