We are high school sweethearts who made it to the big day. In 2014, when Cierra was a freshman and Nolan was a sophomore, Nolan saw her on the bus for the first time. We got on at different stops, but he always caught her eye whenever possible. Nolan had a fruitful business of selling spam musubis at lunch time, and within a week or so he gave Cierra a free one. She wasn’t interested. Grateful for the food, but not interested. Over the next 7 months, Nolan did everything in his power to win her over. There were many more free musubis, and thoughtful (though not always appreciated) conversations on the bus. Cierra was incredibly grateful for such a good friend, and Nolan was effectively friend zoned for months. At the end of that school year, Nolan moved away. And Cierra realized she missed him more than she had ever dared to admit to herself (and especially not to Nolan). In June of 2015, Nolan finally made his move and Cierra was finally ready for it. We officially started dating, and haven’t stopped since. By the end of high school, we had 3 years of dating under our belt. When Cierra graduated high school in 2018, Nolan asked to come with her to college and she told him no. What if this high school relationship didn’t last through college? What would either one of us do if disaster struck and we both got stuck in Reno with each other? So Nolan began another waiting game. Though the universe threw curveballs at us like 14 hour round trip weekend drives, living together during COVID, and a variety of other bumps on the way, it only contributed to how dedicated and enamored we are. The relationship was built on fortitude, love, and so many laughs. And the moment college was done? Look out world. Nolan moved to Reno within 2 months of Cierra graduating. Nolan moved out of his town house with his two best friends and into a house full of girls 7 hours away from his home because he loved Cierra more than anything. And for the first time since we started dating (6 years previously at that point), we were living together full time. We adopted a cat, Bentley, and started our lives together. Within a year, we had moved into our own apartment and Cierra had started field work. Nolan, an incredible partner as ever, supported Cierra in her wild dreams of sleeping in a tent more nights than she was home. We got another cat, Zuko, and our little family of 4 only continued to flourish. We were parents! 2024 was a big year for us. We got a dog, Casper, who will be our ring bearer at our wedding. And we got finally got engaged. We visited our friend Mikka down in Grenada for a week of island exploring (and question popping). Most people who know Nolan and Cierra, know Mikka. She’s important and here at the wedding as a bridesmaid. With Mikka’s knowledge, Nolan took Cierra down to the beach at night just the two of them, to a beautiful gazebo on the water. As she caught frogs and lizards, because what else would she be doing, Nolan got down on one knee. He told her than she added so much to his life, that he couldn’t imagine doing it with anybody else. And he asked her to marry him. We were both so excited, though we both knew in our hearts it was a long time coming. We were always right for each other. Life together has been so joyous, full of so many laughs and adventures. Best friends, travel partners, pet parents, and the world to one another. We are so fortunate for the love we have for each other. We continue to inspire each other to grow and thrive as partners and individuals. Marrying your high school sweetheart is an indescribable feeling of trust, dedication, and pure elation. If you’re still reading, just as you’re still supporting us 11 years later, we are so grateful. Our love story took years in the making, but it’s time to make things official. Thank you for celebrating our big day with us. Love, Cierra and Nolan