We're married!

We met at Doe River Gorge in Hampton, Tennessee while working as camp counselors the summer after our Freshman year of college. We were co-counselors our first week of camp and became best friends after working the rappel deck together. One of our campers told us during one of the activities that one day we were going to get married and we both laughed as if that would never happen. We ended that summer of camp as best friends and started dating after a rainy day with friends at Dollywood during Christmas time later that year. We were hesitant about long distance, but we knew the effort would be worth it. We spent three years traveling between the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee, with many adventures in between. Countless FaceTime calls, long drives, coffee dates, college football games, and impromptu dance-offs later we made it through, but long distance is not for the faint of heart y'all. The Lord has been so faithful in our lives, in our relationship, and in the way that He has brought us through long distance to paint a beautiful picture for His glory. Sara moved to Nashville, Tennessee (finally) for PA school and we entered a whole new season in our relationship - with both ups and downs. We are so excited for that season to be over and to finally be in Johnson City, Tennessee together! Life is so sweet if you stick things through. Now, we get to go on tiny adventures together every day, and we can now say the 4.5 years of long distance was well worth the time and effort. It taught us more than we could imagine about each other and ourselves and it helps us appreciate the small things in our relationship everyday. Highly recommend marrying your camp crush!

The proposal took place on the evening of May 6th on the 13th Street boardwalk at Tybee Island, a small barrier island with a wide sandy beach east of Savannah, Georgia. It was a perfect evening. The skies were clear and the ocean was calm. I brought Sara there under the guise of enjoying an evening walk on the beach and having dinner together. Little did she know, I had her ring burning a hole in my left pocket. Before we get into the good stuff, let me share some of the backstory. Sara and I were headed to Jupiter, Florida for Sara to start her last PA rotation for about five weeks. We decided to road trip after meeting for my brother's graduation from Auburn University earlier that weekend. Unfortunately, the engagement ring was scheduled to be completed in Johnson City while we were away in Florida, so I was busy trying to think of a suave way to propose to her in the later weeks of May or June while living and working 769 miles away from her in Tennessee... However, fate was on my side. I got a call the Friday before Ben's graduation. The ring was ready! With no time to come up with an "ideal" proposal, I grabbed the ring, thanked the jewelers, and headed to Alabama trusting that I would find the perfect place and time to tell Sara how I felt about her and to ask her to be my lifelong partner. We finished our walk up the beach and started back towards the car to head to dinner. We reached the boardwalk and at about halfway I stopped. I turned her around so that we could look at the sunset and then I told her that I loved her. I got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked her if she would marry me. Sara was in shock for a moment, and then with a smile and a look of surprised joy, she said, "Is this really happening?" I nodded and placed the ring on her finger, kissed her, and we both enjoyed the beautiful moment together. May 6, 2019 on the 13th Street boardwalk of Tybee Island was the perfect place and time for me to tell Sara "I love you."

Friends and family, We continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations as our wedding date grows closer. We recommend practicing social distancing and the use of a face mask when you are transitioning, whether that is with group travel or in an indoor facility where you are unable to social distance. We will have hand sanitizer for every guest and hand-washing readily available, as well as disposable face masks. We cannot wait to celebrate with you all, safely! Love, Aaron and Sara