WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!

We first met in 2015 at a friend's party, but nothing came from that initial meeting. We went on our separate ways, only saying hey in passing every now and then. Two years later, we connected at another friend's birthday celebration. I was immediately interested in Rachael, but she was oblivious. The first half of the celebration was at a sushi restaurant in Montgomery, where I made a point to sit directly across from her so I could talk to her. I noticed she was one of the few people at the table using chopsticks; so, since I was proficient with them as well, I used that as an opportunity to show off and spark a conversation. Rachael later revealed that this did get her attention, but she was still oblivious as to my attraction to her at the time. She ended up sneaking off early to "study" and I thought I'd lost my opportunity to get her number, but it turns out she was really going back to set up for the surprise party back at Tuskegee. However, when we got back, neither one of us made a move; only stealing a glance across the room every so often. Eventually I got tired and went downstairs to my place to go to bed. I'd showered, change, and was ready for bed when I heard a knock at my door. That's when the maid of honor, Kaitlyn, came in and said I need to come back upstairs NOW because Rachael wanted to talk to me. I hesitated for a second, but ultimately decided she was worth the hassle of getting dressed again. So, I changed and went back upstairs, but she was so nervous she ran off an hid in the bathroom as soon as she saw me. When she finally came out, we spent at least 5 hours just talking and sparked an immediate connection. I was amazed that we'd only really just met, but the conversations felt like we'd known each other forever. I asked her on a date a week later and the rest is history!

Over Thanksgiving, I drove us to get breakfast and made her wear a blindfold so she didn’t know where we were going. We went to the GA aquarium (which is where we went on one of our first few dates). We spent a few hours there and then went outside. They had all their Christmas decorations out now and it was a great chance to take pictures. I asked one of the nearby bystanders to take our picture. They agreed, so I handed them my phone. Afterwards she went to get the phone back and tried to hand it back over her shoulder. When I didn’t take it she turned around to see that I was down on one knee. She thought it was a prank so she was laughing. Even when she realized it was real she still kept laughing in disbelief because she couldn’t believe it herself. I gave an elegant speech that I prepared . She didn’t hear a word of it. She was too busy laughing in a state of shock. By this point a crowd had gathered around us, and began to chant "Say yes.” When she finally managed to stop laughing, she finally said “Yes” and I was able to put the ring on her finger. I hired a photographer to capture the moment in secret and to take pictures of us together afterwards.