Ever heard of love at first sight? Well, our story is as close as it gets! On February 1st, 2020, we met at a bar in DC. As Nathalie's friends will tell you, all she kept talking about was this pretty girl surrounded by a group of friends. After taking one of her friends to the restroom, Nathalie decided to stop and tell Amelia "I'm sorry if this is weird or awkward, but I just wanted to say that you're really pretty!" About two seconds later Nathalie panicked and quickly said goodbye, trying to escape the encounter she had just had. Amelia reached out her hand turning Nathalie around and said "wait come back". From that moment on, conversations began and the two danced the night away. Before leaving, Amelia took Nathalie's phone, put her number in, and the two agreed that they should meet up again sometime because of the fun night they had just had. The next day, Nathalie messaged Amelia a few times, but heard nothing back; she'll gladly explain that she was internally freaking out trying to decide whether or not Nathalie was too young and if it was even an idea she should entertain. Her sisters and friends suggested that she see what happens, but Amelia was still hesitant. Later that night, Nathalie came back from the recording studio and posted a picture with her guitar, which quickly caught Amelia's attention. Amelia asked Nathalie if she played the guitar and Nathalie explained that she not only played the guitar, but that she also played the piano and the drums, and was actually a singer-songwriter. Amelia explained that she too was a singer-songwriter, and pretty quickly the two became inseparable. After a few dates, Amelia finally asked Nathalie to make it official. They started writing songs together and it wasn't too long until they fell in love.

You may not be able to tell from their engagement photos, but Nathalie proposed to Amelia at The Market at Grelen, which is a European Style Garden Shop Set on a 1000-Acre Tree Nursery ​that also has a cidery/brewery. Breweries and cideries became Nathalie and Amelia's special thing; so far they've visited over 20 and they plan on visiting more. For this reason, Nathalie decided that proposing in front of a beautiful LOVE sign made of plants and vines at a brewery was special. As many of you know, October 11 is also considered National Coming Out Day. Even though Nathalie wasn't necessarily keeping her sexuality a secret, not many people knew the truth because she had many struggles with acceptance in the past. She decided there was no better way to celebrate who she was than by asking her best friend to spend the rest of her life with her.

On 5 December 2020, the two of us decided to elope. Given the situation with the pandemic, like many others did this past year, we decided it made more sense to get the official things out of the way and get married legally rather than waiting to be "in the clear" to have our big ceremony and consequently putting our life together on hold. The two of us also wanted something beautiful to come out of the darkness of such a difficult year and couldn't think of anything more beautiful than promising our endless love to one another. While being married on paper was a legal necessity that we could not put off for the sake of the military, we are truly excited to now have the chance to say our vows in front of friends and family and celebrate with those we love the most.