Some love stories arrive with a grand reveal. Ours unfolded quietly; patiently orbiting, waiting for the exact moment it was meant to begin. Long before we ever shared a drink or a dance floor, our paths brushed past one another in our early twenties. Michael designed the website for Alexia’s nonprofit, Harmonia, placing us in the same creative orbit, just out of reach. We knew of each other, but life still had journeys to send us on, miles to travel, lessons to learn, versions of ourselves to become. Each of us followed winding roads through music, events, and creativity; gathering stories, learning ourselves. Then, in September of 2022, Asheville quietly intervened. On an unassuming evening in September of 2022, at a local haunt neither of us frequented often, we found ourselves in the same room and everything shifted. We saw each other instantly. Conversation flowed effortlessly, stretching late into the night as if we were simply picking up where something had always existed. Michael was about to visit Alexia’s hometown, Los Angeles, so numbers were exchanged just to share travel tips, or so we thought. A month passed. Then came a birthday message, an invitation for a celebratory beverage that turned into hours of conversation. That night opened the door to our first official date: seeing the Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha at Alexia’s former college campus, UNC Asheville. Music once again weaving itself into our story. What followed was a love that grew across distance. Our early days were long-distance, deepened through voice notes, long messages, and a growing certainty that something special was unfolding. We couldn’t wait to reunite, so we planned an evening out to see Big Boi on a night that would become our anniversary: October 28, 2022. From there, our lives braided together naturally and life expanded beautifully. We began our love in the nurturing embrace of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Now paired we were ready to hit the road on a new adventure together. In January of 2024, we followed the call to lay new roots in Nashville, a city of rhythm and possibility, excited to continue building a life together. Together, we are travelers, music lovers, outdoors wanderers, and devoted explorers of the wonders of life. In August of 2024, our shared love of exploration carried us across the Atlantic, where familiar echoes of Appalachia met the wild beauty of the Irish coast. A ferry brought us to Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands, a place shaped by ancient limestone, wildflowers, and the ever-present sea. Time seemed to slow there, the island suspended in quiet wonder. We biked through endless wildflower fields, breathing in ocean air, searching, and followed curiosity until we found ourselves standing on the edge of the world; sky and sea merging into one endless horizon. We wondered if this was it; if we had found heaven on earth. In a wildflower meadow, with a distant lighthouse and three brown cows as our witnesses, Michael asked Alexia to be his wife. We promised then to continue exploring every season of life together, no matter the weather and ohh have we weathered some storms together. That feeling remains with us still, a calm certainty, a deep knowing, a shared truth we carry forward. After spending years creating meaningful moments for others, we are deeply grateful to now craft something sacred for ourselves to share. We are so blessed to have each of you special beings weaved into our story. We are so grateful to share this next chapter with you. With immense love, Ax & Spice