It was a warm Spring evening in 2018 when we met at a concert in Phoenix, Arizona. I had driven down from Flagstaff with my friend Shiloh (now a Bridesmaid ❤︎), and Hunter had driven up from Tucson with our mutual friend, Bella (now Best Wing(wo)man ✈︎). We instantly felt a strong connection and spent the coming weeks spending time together and getting to know each other. Although we ultimately decided to just be friends and actually ended up dating other people, Bella later told me that Hunter said to her time and time again that I was the one who got away. Fall of 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunter decided to shoot his shot again and the rest is history! All it took was one message on SnapChat and we instantly reconnected as if no time had passed. The timing was not ideal, however, as Hunter was getting ready to attend Marine Officer Candidates' School in Quantico, Virginia. Not allowed his phone, we spent the next nine weeks writing letters back and forth. And through those letters we fell head over heels in love. As Hunter continued his Marine Officer training throughout 2021, we continued writing letters, facetiming, and visiting each other when we could - weekends in San Diego, Tucson, Virginia, D.C., and Pensacola solidified our strong connection, kind love, and unwavering commitment to be together. During the Spring of 2022, while earning my master's degree remotely, I finally decided to take the leap and moved across the country to be with Hunter in Pensacola, Florida where he was training to become a Marine Aviator. The next year and a half we spent creating a home together and making countless friends and memories. In October of 2023, just a couple weeks before beginning the last part of his advanced training, Hunter popped the question and of course I said YES! As our story has been anything but expedited, we always planned on enjoying a long engagement. Now that Hunter has completed the last part of his Marine Aviator training and we have moved back to the West Coast, we are finally planning our wedding celebration! After a strong initial connection, time apart, a whirlwind reconnection, falling in love and creating a life together, we are so excited to take this next step as husband and wife and can't wait to share this special moment with you - our friends and family. Thank you all so much for being here help us write this next part of our story. ♡ ♡ ♡