To be honest, neither of us remembers the exact date we first met—but it was spring of 2023 at our home church, Shoreline City. Richie had just joined the usher team, where Kacey was already serving. We probably exchanged the typical “Hi, how’s it going?” a few times in passing (though Richie still swears Kacey didn’t acknowledge him for the first six months!). Fast forward to that fall at a team Friendsgiving. Richie’s friends didn’t show, so after grabbing a plate of food, he found a quiet corner to eat. Kacey—being the life of the party—noticed him sitting there alone and invited him into her conversation circle. That small moment led to a night of laughter, conversation, and the beginning of a friendship. A month later came the first New Year’s Eve worship night. Kacey was asked to lead the usher team for what was expected to be a small gathering. Richie who was not even planning on attending, decided last minute to help. What was supposed to be a cozy service turned into over 2,000 people—with only four ushers to seat them. It was chaotic, sweaty, exhausting, and unforgettable. Kacey likes to say they “trauma bonded” that night, while Richie insists, “God was up to something!” Either way, something deeper sparked, and both began to notice it. As the new year rolled in, our friendship grew deeper. Alongside other usher teammates—our “wine night crew” of Micah, DeWayne, Alex, Jojo, and more—we did life together. Everyone else seemed to notice what we tried to ignore: there was something different about the way we were around each other. DeWayne often joked, “You two are perfect together.” Still, we hesitated (asking ourselves questions like "what if it doesn't work out?", "are we better off as friends?", "who will have to leave the church if it goes sour?"). We were both worried about risking the friendship. But after months of casual flirting, Richie decided to take a leap. At a bonfire, after confiding in his friend Chase- saw Kacey and realized the risk was going to be worth it. He called her name and finally asked: “What are you doing Tuesday night?” “Uhm… nothing, I don’t think.” “Alright, you have plans now. We’re going on our first date. I’ll give you the details later.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

(This is Richie speaking.) We never really talked much about rings, but we always knew marriage was in our future. When the time came, I wanted to figure out what kind of ring Kacey would love—without directly asking her. So I reached out to her close friend Micah, who gave me the basics: no square, circle, or rectangular stones, no white gold, and nothing too flashy. Got it. Micah went above and beyond, casually dropping ring-related questions into conversations with Kacey to get more details. Once I had enough, I started working with jewelers to make it happen and took a few visits with my boy Kwaku. Meanwhile, Kacey went to visit Micah in Florida, where Micah took her ring shopping (a “girl’s date” they called it).. Soon, I was getting photos, specs, and ideas sent my way. By then, I had already ordered the ring (but no one knew). Even after she returned to Dallas, her friends kept taking her to local jewelers, registering her name, and sending me more “helpful” pictures. They were eager to be part of the process, and I wanted to tell them the ring was already on its way—but I kept it to myself. The week of the proposal, Kacey had a work trip to Virginia and wasn’t due back until late Thursday night. That same week, one of the local jewelers reached out to her friends saying the mock-up of a ring Kacey had picked was ready to be ordered and would take 6–8 weeks to make. Naturally, Kacey assumed I’d order it while she was away. Micah even texted me asking, “What’s the plan? You ready to buy this thing?” I just played it off and said I’d update her the following week. The jewelry store kept contacting Kacey because no one had reached out, to which she kept saying “I swear I really do have a boyfriend and he told me to look at rings…” Meanwhile, I was planning something entirely different. I told Kacey to take Friday off for a “relaxation day,” and throughout the week I sent her little clues, the last one being a list of items to pack. By Thursday, she was completely confused—and even more so when I told her I’d pick her up at 5 a.m. the next morning. Despite her protests, I whisked her off to the airport. She had no idea where we were going until we got to the gate: Fort Lauderdale! (Was she a little grumpy, tired, and complaining on the flight? …No comment.) When we landed, we spent the day relaxing by the pool and beach. That evening, I made sure we dressed up for a nice dinner at a beachside restaurant. As we finished, I got a text from the photographer and videographer I had hired: “We’re in position—we see you!” My heart dropped. I went to the bathroom, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm my nerves. After dinner, I suggested a walk on the beach. As we strolled, I pointed out random boats and ships to distract her while leading us toward the spot where the photographers were hiding. When we reached the cabanas (under which they were hiding), I stopped, turned her around, and dropped to one knee. She looked back, confused, and asked, “What happened? Did you fall?” I just smiled, and after a (very very long) pause, asked her to marry me. The moment was surreal. Kacey burst into tears just as the photographers came running out, cameras in hand. Shocked, she cried even harder and shouted, “Who are these people?! What are they doing here?!” Through the laughter and tears, she said “yes.” Our photo session was short—between the tears, the joy, the shock, and the windy night, we only lasted about 15 minutes (instead of the hour we booked). But it was perfect. Back at the hotel, the staff celebrated our engagement with us for the rest of the night. It was unforgettable—the start of forever.