Cecelia and Pradeep
Our Story
The Very Beginning
"All because two people swiped right"
I cringe at that quote, but it is true! Many people don't know that we met on a dating app. In the summer of 2018, I was about to leave for college in South Carolina, and Pradeep was about to move down to Columbus, Georgia for his first job. We never would have met otherwise, and for that, we are both thankful our non-traditional introduction. We had our first date at the Mall of Georgia in July of 2018. It was a perfect first meeting and lead quickly to our next date at the Gainesville Botanical Gardens on August 12th, 2018 (ask Pradeep about meeting all 4 of my parents at once before this one - he has always been a keeper!). The picture shown above is our very first picture together at the gardens! Our relationship officially began that day. Little did we know that exactly 5 years later, we would be engaged!
Long Distance
Growing our relationship despite the miles between us
Pradeep and I dated long distance for the first 4 years of our relationship. We put a lot of effort into growing our relationship despite the miles between us. In fact, as evidence of our commitment, Pradeep switched to an iPhone just for us to have Facetime! If that isn't proof enough, the miles on my first car, a Buick Park Avenue named "Pearl", and Pradeep's BMW, speak for themselves. The weeks and sometimes month apart made the time we did have together that much more special. I truly believe this first chapter of our story allowed us to practice independence while learning how to show up and support one another.
Our Life in Knoxville
Enjoying daily life together
If I could summarize our time in Knoxville, I would say, "don't underestimate two years". Pradeep and I knew we wanted to experience daily life together, so in May of 2022, Pradeep followed me to Knoxville, TN. I started my master's program, and Pradeep and I got our first apartment together! I will forever be thankful for this season of life. Pradeep proposed in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, August 12th, 2023. It was our 5th anniversary. It was perfect... although I encourage you to ask Pradeep how I almost ruined my own surprise engagement! My bad! Fun fact: The photo above is the selfie we took right before Pradeep proposed!
The Chapter Still Unfolding
Our Engagement Season
After I graduated in May of 2024, it was time for us to start our next chapter. We moved back to Georgia and have been renting our first home in Cartersville for the past year. We have been able to enjoy our last year of engagement. In fact, we are so thankful for all of you who have been a part of this chapter with us. We love you!