In 2011, Rebekah had forged a fast friendship with her now best friend of over 13 years Dannielle, who went to elementary school with Corry. After the girls became pretty much inseparable immediately, it was only a matter of time before friend groups merged and Corry and Rebekah crossed paths. This is where Rebekah and Corry have slightly different stories about their first meeting... Corry remembers that during this time, a few of his close friends were encouraging him to explore new horizons and meet new people, gently nudging him to join them at Al Moro dance studio where he discovered swing dancing. By a stroke of coincidence, his childhood friend Dannielle was already attending events there (thanks to Rebekah dragging Dannielle with her to every single dance because at this point Rebekah was totally addicted to swing,) and it was through her that he was introduced to Rebekah while out dancing. Their first few dances together left an impression – her sunny personality and flirtatious gaze catching his attention. Rebekah remembers their first meeting being at a GCC production, where she encouraged Dannielle to invite Corry since they were in the process of reconnecting from childhood. Their first meeting was relatively uneventful and surrounded by others, but Rebekah enjoyed Corry's sense of humor and was intrigued by the challenge of bringing him out of his shell. As the years passed, Rebekah continued to invite Corry to MANY friend group things (even though he never returned the favor...) because she knew she wanted to keep him in her orbit (and because she thought he was pretty cute, but that was just a B plot at the time.) They fell in and out of touch as friends do over the years, Rebekah moved to California for over a year and then came back, they both saw relationships come and go, Rebekah tried to set him up MULTIPLE times with some of her friends (unsuccessfully,) but the one thing that remained consistent was their fondness for the other's company and appreciation of their friendship. Fast forward to 2018, they had recently reconnected and had been communicating much more frequently, and Rebekah decided to invite Corry to her January birthday celebration. The night ended with an exchange of friendly 'I love yous' which was MOST DEFINITELY thanks to the libations beforehand because this was not something they had ever said to each other before this moment. (Note from Bex: I specifically said 'I love you, kid' which is eternally burned in my brain because 1. He is older than me and 2. I had never called another adult 'kid' in my entire life LOL) While the sentiments were shared casually (and tipsily) and then not uttered again for quite some time, this night was the beginning of their transition from friends to more than friends. For two individuals who, at the time, had no interest in a relationship or marriage or anything close to commitment, they certainly didn't act like it! The two became quickly intertwined into each other's lives, meeting parents and family members, and Corry FINALLY started inviting Rebekah to stuff with his friends 😉 Their first few years were...chaotic. Two kids in their early 20's who were still trying to figure out who they were as individuals and what they wanted, and how to handle such strong feelings/regulate their emotions. (Shoutout to all of our friends who were there with us through this phase, we were pretty insufferable and toxic, but we love and appreciate your patience and support while we figured out our shit LOL) Once the aforementioned shit was figured out though, they both knew that in the end, they couldn't imagine spending the rest of their lives with anyone else, and their love had preserved through even the toughest of storms and most difficult challenges. So, they went all in and said 'let's do the thing' and have been doing the thing ever since, even more in love and with a bond that grows stronger every single day ❤️

It was September 2022. Life was good but it definitely could’ve been better. Though they had never decided on marriage, the idea had always lingered in the back of their minds. The more Corry pondered, the more he realized that it was the next step in their journey together. On Thanksgiving Day, Corry met with Rebekah's father to ask for his blessing. Her father was overjoyed at the prospect and warmly welcomed Corry into the family, although it was perhaps a bit premature since Corry had not yet officially proposed. As luck would have it, Corry and Rebekah had planned a romantic getaway to Paris (Note from Bex: A trip I booked for us on a whim in October 2022 thanks to a Going flight notification and a wistful desire to celebrate my 30th birthday in one of my favorite places in the world), which presented the ideal opportunity for a proposal. In preparation, Corry discreetly perused Rebekah's jewelry Pinterest board, searching for the perfect ring to symbolize their love. Once he had made his selection, he kept the ring box carefully hidden throughout their travels and the unpacking process upon arriving in Paris (Note from Bex: I literally still had NO CLUE. Nada. I was just there to shop and eat and take cute photos and celebrate my dirty 30 to my knowledge LOL) After a delightful day exploring the charming streets of Paris, the couple took a break in a quaint park near the Wall of Love. In that moment, surrounded by the embodiment of romance, Corry knew the time was right. He got down on one knee, presented the ring, and asked Rebekah to spend the rest of her life with him. With an elated "yes," Rebekah accepted his proposal (Note from Bex: I also asked "Are you sure?" and "Which finger does the ring go on? I don't remember right now..." hahahaha,) and they embarked on a new chapter in their love story, ready to create a lifetime of memories together.

As two people who were never in the pursuit of marriage to begin with, Rebekah and Corry were perfectly happy with a nice long engagement and soaking up every fun little milestone of engaged life. When conversations about a ceremony or celebration began to ramp up, the two decided on a small, immediate family only ceremony in Sedona in the winter (Note from Bex: Because there was NO WAY I was getting married during any month that was even remotely warm in AZ.) So planning began and a date was selected - December 10th, the anniversary date of Rebekah’s Tata’s passing, and also bun bun Charlie’s birthday. On December 6th, Rebekah’s father took a tumble down almost half a flight of stairs, landing him in the hospital. Thankfully he was alright overall, but his fall earned him 8 fractured ribs, a nasty concussion, and a baseball sized goose egg above his right eye, swelling it shut. It was clear from all the tests run and doctors spoken to that he would not be released in time to make it to their destination ceremony. By this point, the guest list had dwindled significantly (it was only 6 to begin with) so it was incredibly important to the couple to prioritize the presence of the few family members left who valued the significance and sacredness of their sharing of this moment. (English majors, please don’t kill me for switching from 3rd to 1st person mid-story!) After many calls to the hospital and anxious waiting, we were given approval to hold our ceremony at the hospital in the space of our choosing, and allowed to bring in our whole entourage (Corry’s mom, our officiant, and our photographer!) As crazy as it may seem, we opted to still go through with our trip to Sedona to capture the photos we had spent so much time planning out, and hosted a ‘fakey’ ceremony to get some good shots. Our wedding day timeline went straight out the window at this point, and by the time we made our roundtrip drive to Sedona, we rolled up to the hospital around 8:30PM. We settled on the hospital chapel after confirming that Dad would be able to transfer into a chair and sit up for an extended period of time without worsening any pain, and a group of incredible nurses helped get him dressed in some disposable hospital pants, the finest grippy socks, and wheeled him down to us a little before 10PM where we were able to capture some ‘first look’ photos even though our photographer had long since departed (this silly woman didn’t tell us she had been suffering from a SINUS INFECTION until we were already on our way back down from Sedona, which I’m guessing is because she KNOWS I WOULD NOT have let her travel and shoot for hours while being so sick!) Shortly after Dad’s arrival in the chapel, we were greeted by a group of hospital staff who were just popping in to see the dress and offer their congratulations. I (Bex) felt immediately compelled to invite them to join us, and so our audience of 2 became an audience of about 12 or so. I can’t quite explain it, but there was such a feeling of love and support that filled up that little chapel even though most of the individuals who were there were complete strangers. It will forever be one of the most precious memories we will cherish. Even though our wedding day didn’t look anything like we had planned, it was a day overwhelmed by love, surrounded by so many joyful people, and filled with lots of ‘stars aligning’ moments that the universe blessed us with. To bring the story back full circle, bestie Dannielle met and married her own 'happily ever after' (we love you Joey!) a couple years ago, who just so happens to be the cousin of one of my (Bex) close childhood friends. The crazy connections we all have feels as though the universe has been working to pull us together for much longer than we can fathom, and the family we've created with all of the special people in our lives (including all of the wonderful new friends we made on our wedding day) feels like we're exactly where we need to be ✨

To Michael (Officiant/Bex's Platonic Soulmate & Bestie): Thank you for your willingness to be anything and everything to me in so many stages of my life before Corry, and in our continued life together as a couple. We appreciate you more than words, and are so ridiculously grateful for all the time, effort, mindfulness, care, and love you poured into our special day, and pour into our lives constantly. Thank you for your cool, calm, and collected demeanor as our plans changed time and time again, which brought me so much peace in the midst of chaos. Thank you for staying up late to iron letters on my jacket, for driving many many miles while I was trapped in a wedding dress, and for generally being one of the most incredible humans we've ever met. You have been there for so many of my most joyous and most heartbreaking moments, and we look forward to sharing a lifetime more of moments together with you and Jon ❤ We love you! To Shayla (Photographer/Bex's Bestie): Girl. I could kick your ass and kiss you all at the same time 😂 YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE SICK WOMAN! That being said, your dedication to making our photo dreams come true while putting your own health and wellness on the back burner and suffering in silence is the epitome of who you are as a human. We've had a connection since the moment we met and while we've only known each other for a few short years, I am so thankful that the universe brought me to you when it did because I can't imagine life without you. Thank you for all of your continued love, support, and encouragement to push myself and go after what I want. You have made me feel beautiful in ways that no one else ever has, and your ambition to seize every moment is SUCH an inspiration to me! Your willingness and eagerness to be such a huge part of our special moment while going through HELL in more ways than one is something I will never be able to properly thank you for, because words are simply not enough. I love you to the moon bb! To Dannielle & Joey (Photog #2/Babysitter/Besties for the Resties): Thank you both for being willing to jump in at the LITERAL 11th hour and be there for whatever we needed. Joey, thank you for running doggy daycare into the late late hours of the night, we felt so much peace knowing that our kiddos were safe with Uncle J ❤ Dannielle, thank you for being willing to rush over immediately after your special event to fill our hospital photog needs and capturing so many special and precious moments. To both of you, thank you for sticking with us until the very last goodbye of the evening. Thank you for loving us continuously, for being there through so many difficult moments, and for being two of the people in our lives we know we can always count on. We love you both so, so much and look forward to many more years of shared memories and adventures ❤ To Briana (my Sedona angel!): It's not hyperbole when I say that you restored my faith in humanity. You are an incredible reminder that good people still exist. Thank you for your willingness to invite a total stranger into your beautiful home after only a phone call. I am convinced that you are an angel that was sent to me and nothing will change my mind! From walking into your home just to hear one of my absolute favorite songs playing (which you would have had absolutely no way of knowing,) to noticing that the colors in the bedroom you so graciously offered me to change in were perfectly aligned with the accent colors of our day, to the precious words of encouragement your sweet boy offered me, A COMPLETE STRANGER, when I walked out in my dress...I just can't put into words how perfectly perfect it feels like our meeting was. Thank you for your kindness, your warmth, and for providing me such a soft, welcoming, sweet place to land and kick off our special day after the chaos of the days leading up to it. ❤

To Nurse Sarah and our new Banner Thunderbird friends: Thank you for making our special day even more special, and overflowing our already full cup with love and support. Thank you for fluffing my dress, for helping with photo poses, for fixing my flowers, for filling in as videographer, for the tears shed and hugs shared, and for all the words of kindness and wisdom given to us after witnessing the commitment of our lives to each other. But more importantly, thank you for what you do. Thank you for taking excellent care of our dad, and so many other family members and loved ones day in and day out. Selflessness, empathy, kindness, and care absolutely radiated from each of you, and it brings me so much joy that we were able to share our day with you all. In a profession that has been made even more difficult these days thanks to politics, a broken system, and a million other pieces of bureaucratic bullshit, it's healthcare professionals like YOU who hold things together and bring peace and comfort to so many people in their most vulnerable moments. There are not enough words in the dictionary or money in the world to truly thank you for all that you do. If I've learned anything from the years that Dad worked in the medical field, it's that there will most certainly be difficult days, impossible patients, and a whole lot of feeling underappreciated. But in those difficult moments, I hope you remember how incredible what you're doing is, and your service to your community and the people that you care for is something that will not ever be forgotten by the MANY lives you touch. We thank you and we appreciate you so, so much ❤