At last…

We met where all the best love stories begin, high school. A few of our best friends encouraged us to start talking to one another, and we have been inseparable ever since. Micaela remembers Perry being at every soccer game he could attend, cheering her on from the stands, and all the meals she ate with him and his family where she tried something new. Perry remembers all the dates to the Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs and cheffing up meals for Micaela at home. One of the sweetest things that came from this time is the fact that Perry secretly saved and preserved Micaela's corsage from senior prom. We have since passed it back and forth to each other, giving it to the one who needed a reminder of the truth of our love and as a promise to be there for the other no matter what.

Ask anyone who knows Micaela well: "what's her favorite place in the world?". Their answer would be "her grandmother's beach house". This little cottage nestled in the Promise Land of Morehead City, NC has held so many sweet memories for her family and is where they have vacationed every year of her life. The 100+ year old house is covered in murals lovingly painted by her grandmother and great aunts, and was rebuilt by her grandfather, cousins, and uncles. She can remember nights spent on the couch with her grandmother, in awe of the forces of nature, while violent thunder shook the house and lightning made it almost as bright as day. She remembers dance parties with her mom and brothers in the living room, countless games of Rook at the kitchen table, and helping her dad prepare their traditional fish taco feast. Perry began vacationing with Micaela's family in high school, and it soon became a place he loved as much as they did and where he bonded the most with what would one day be his future in-laws. When Perry was planning the proposal, he knew that he wanted it to take place somewhere that was meaningful and sentimental to them both, but especially to Micaela. This is why he knew the beach house was the perfect choice. He planned a weekend getaway, and ultimately proposed to Micaela in front of the beach house at sunrise on Satuday morning. Remember that corsage from senior year prom? He presented that back to Micaela prior to asking her to marry him, as a final reminder of their story coming full circle. After the proposal, Perry said he picked this place because it was such a critical part of Micaela's history, and now their story would be intertwined in it as well. The day was perfect and incredibly meaningful, everything Micaela ever hoped it would be.