Two and a half years ago, I jetted off to the Dominican Republic for a girls' trip, looking for nothing more than some sun and a break from reality. I didn't realize I was actually walking into the first chapter of my "forever." I remember seeing Kendri on our very first day. He was across the pool with his friends, and even though the resort was buzzing, I couldn't help but notice him. I was far too shy to swim over and say hello, so I just kept my distance, never imagining that the stranger across the water would one day be my husband. Destiny finally got a helping hand that night at a beach party. Under the Caribbean stars, my friends struck up a conversation with his group and introduced us. We exchanged Instagrams that night, and for the rest of the week, the island felt a lot smaller. We kept "accidentally" running into each other: at the bars, the buffet, and back at the pool, until we finally traded phone numbers on our last day. As I headed to the airport, I remember thinking, "That was fun, but there's no way this goes anywhere once we're back in the real world." I couldn't have been more wrong. From that day on, we never stopped talking. What started as a chance encounter in paradise quickly turned into a love that changed everything. Now, we are preparing to head back to those same shores, but this time, we aren't strangers passing by the pool. We are returning to the Dominican Republic to say "I do" in front of all the friends and family who have watched our story grow. We found each other in paradise, and now, we get to start our life together in the very place it all began.