Our Story — by Keegan Bedford Our story began in the most modern way possible—Instagram. I saw her, took a chance, and messaged her. From the start, she made it clear she wasn’t going to fall for me easily. She told me exactly what I needed to work on, what I needed to grow up on, and what I had to do if I wanted a chance with her. I wasn’t afraid—I was willing. I knew I had to not only prove myself to her, but also to her best friend, college roommate, and now maid of honor. We talked for months, and she definitely played hard to get. The first time we met was outside of Santoro’s, a little pizza shop near campus. I convinced her to stop one day, we chatted in the parking lot, and from that moment on, things felt different. I even tried to go on one of her crazy long runs for her marathon training back in college to impress her—let’s just say, I lasted about half a mile. We spent every spare moment we could together, fitting around her busy schedule. She’s one of the most hard-working people I know, so to get even a minute out of her schedule is something I cherish. I wanted her to know how important she was, so I did everything I could to show it—like that very early morning when I stayed up all night just to bring her favorite coffee at 4:30 a.m., before she had to leave for an event. Not long after, I decided it was time to tell her I loved her. I showed up with coffee again, and when it was time to leave, I hugged her, kissed her on the forehead, and said the three words— “I love you.” She looked at me like I had three heads…and closed the door. Over the next year, we stopped talking multiple times. Each time, I kept working on myself, growing, and proving that I was serious—because I wasn’t going to give up on her. Even when she said it was bad timing or that she didn’t have time for me, I couldn’t stop trying. Months later, after she graduated and moved back to Nashville while I was back in New York, we started texting again, then FaceTiming every day. I flew to one of the cities she was traveling in for a work trip, then to Nashville for Valentine’s Day. We went to Milk and Honey in the Gulch—it’s now our favorite coffee before church! After that, I was there at least once a month for four months straight. I was willing to sacrifice the travel and the effort, knowing she was training for an Ironman and constantly working—because being with her was worth it, even if that meant biking next to her while she ran 15 miles for her training that weekend. I finally moved to Nashville the weekend of my birthday. By then, I knew she had been through a lot over the past year, including losing an important relationship with a family member, and I was more than ready to show her the love, care, and support she deserved. On my birthday, she gave me the most meaningful letter I’ve ever read—telling me “I love you” as I opened the card and then seeing the three words written inside. I had been waiting at least two years to hear this. I’ve always made sure she feels seen, heard, and loved every single day. But I was so ready to tell her mom and grandparents—I was ready to do that for the rest of my life. Megan was on a work trip, and I asked for their blessing to ask the most important question of my life. Then, on Thanksgiving morning 2025 in Naples, FL, everything came together with my mom, dad, two sisters, and her mom “hiding” on the beach—let’s just say they didn’t really understand what the word hiding meant. I asked her to marry me. It’s been a crazy journey, but we wouldn’t change any piece of our story. If we hadn’t gone through what we did, we wouldn’t be here. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone on October 9th.