Shelby was a bridesmaid for her friend Katy. During the months leading to the wedding, another bridesmaid by the name of Chloe Kelly had asked Shelby what she was looking for in a man. Shelby had basically described Jeff, and Chloe told her that she had a man in mind for her. Jeff had been told about Shelby in December 2024, but he didn’t get her number until January 2025. Chloe gave him Shelby’s number, and Jeff texted her introducing himself. Shelby responded introducing herself, and then the conversation began. Shelby didn’t respond to Jeff for 24 hours, but after that, the rest was history. Jeff was still a teacher in Baton Rouge at the time, and Shelby was doing nursing school in Shreveport. They began getting to know each other through texts. The text messages became 6 minute-long voice memos, and Jeff still remembers the first time he heard her voice. Shelby wondered why he never called, but it was only because Jeff hated talking on the phone. After a while, Shelby threw out the idea of meeting up. Jeff had planned on asking her out, but she opened up the opportunity first. Shelby was going to be in Baton Rouge with her friends, and they were going to visit Jeff’s church. They decided to meet up. Jeff remembers seeing her for the first time walking into church. He tried to avoid her at first because he was nervous, but Shelby’s friends got to him, and Shelby followed. They shook hands, and during the service, Jeff sat next to her. His stomach made an insane noise. Shelby asked him if he crapped himself, but really, he was just nervous. He thought he had blew it right there. He didn’t, thankfully. After eating with her friends, Jeff and Shelby went to French Truck to get to know each other. After a while, Shelby got antsy and wanted to walk around somewhere. Jeff took her to LSU’s campus where they walked around and continued getting to know each other. She then went back to Shreveport, and she’d left a remarkable impression of Jeff. On their second date, they decided to meet in the middle in Alexandria. They went to the zoo and got coffee after, as well as dinner. It was after this dinner that they had the DTR (define the relationship) in a random parking lot. Jeff made his intentions clear, and Shelby did as well. On the third date, Jeff met Shelby’s parents. He was in Bossier, and Shelby needed to grab a card game from her mom. They went into Sam’s Club where Jeff quickly met the family. Afterward, they went to the Norton Art Gallery and played a card game where they got to know each other even more. After that day, Jeff knew Shelby was special. He asked her to be his girlfriend in the MOOR Coffee parking lot. She accepted. There have been many fun days since then. They went to the beach with Jeff’s friends in the summer. He took Shelby to an LSU game in the fall. They also went to Boston, accompanied by Kinsey, during fall break. Eventually, Shelby convinced Jeff to move back home to Bossier, which was something he said he’d never do. He joined Shelby’s church in the fall, where he was introduced to a loving community of people. After many great memories, Jeff popped the question on November 1st, 2025. Shelby had no idea it was happening. She hates a spoiled surprise more than anything, and thankfully, Jeff kept it a secret. They’re now getting married on May 30th, 2026, with a lifetime of love ahead of them!