In 2022, while Zac was deployed in Africa, I was finishing my last semester of nursing school, graduating that May. I spent the following months traveling around Europe and going on hiking trips before taking my state board exam to become a registered nurse. When Zac returned from deployment in November 2022, he began working security again at the hospital while waiting for his Correctional Officer application to go through with the state. In January 2023, I started my first nursing job as an inpatient psychiatric nurse. (Whenever people ask how we met, we always say we met on a psychiatric unit—just to see their reactions and laugh.) I remember walking onto the locked unit with someone who is now one of my dearest friends—and who was actually working behind the scenes to get Zac and I together—hi, Emaleigh! Zac and I had our very first conversation about G Hughes’ Sugar-Free Dipping Sauce. That night after work, I sent my aunt and uncle a voice message about him. I didn’t know who he was—not even his name. Little did I know, over the next few weeks Zac would be having daily FaceTime calls with Emaleigh and Tarver, analyzing our interactions and what they thought it all meant. We both admit now that we started waking up a little earlier each morning to get extra ready for work, just in case we’d see each other. As my coworker put it: “The pants got tighter, the shirts got tighter, and his cologne got stronger.” Meanwhile, I was walking into a 12.5-hour shift with a full face of makeup and curled hair. At first, everyone tried hinting that Zac had a crush on me, but—since I’m oblivious to everything—I just brushed it off. Over time, I began bringing Zac and Emaleigh breakfast every morning, and Zac would bring us energy drinks. Those were our excuses to interact. Zac also started sitting with me on my side of the unit, where we got to know each other better. He saw me as a new nurse—laughing with me when I was freaking out, holding combative patients down while I sprinted to get medication, and making me laugh on the hardest days. I didn’t know it then, but he would ask to stay on my side of the unit for the rest of his shift—just to be near me. In April 2023, Zac’s state application was approved, and he put in his two weeks’ notice at the hospital. I finally worked up the courage to tell my coworkers about my feelings for him—and they all said they’d been trying to tell me for months that he liked me. They shared the sweet things he’d said, and Emaleigh finally admitted to all the behind-the-scenes phone calls she’d been having with him. She had tried to drop hints to me, but I just hadn’t picked up on them. After one of my shifts, I sent Zac a text from the elevator, telling him how I felt. He felt the same. We officially began dating in June 2023. That same night, he asked me, “When do you think would be too soon to move in together?” I said, “We can now.” In November 2023, we bought our first home together. Since the months have passed—Zac left the state job and became a Federal Correctional Officer, joining the Special Operations Response Team and becoming Sergeant in the military. I finished my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and began my Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program. After a disastrous proposal on vacation (a story for another time, lol), we got engaged in August 2024 and began planning our wedding. We feel incredibly fortunate to have found each other and are so grateful for the life we’re building together. We can’t wait to celebrate with you on our big day!

Please click top right to review accommodations, registry, FAQ, etc..