forever and ever and ever!

We met at the tail end of COVID in late 2020, playing games with friends at Bryson’s townhome. It was one of those nights that felt easy and fun, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time. Afterward, Braxton messaged me saying it was nice to meet me and that I should come around more often… and I ignored it. Oops. Fast forward to the following summer at SLC Pride Festival — we ran into each other again, and this time he officially got my number. He asked me on a date, I said yes… and then, on a whim, I flew to Hawaii to visit my best friends Ella and Chandler (and the place I had called home during college). To this day, he jokes that I ditched our first date so badly I had to leave the state. But we finally made it happen. On July 17, 2021, we went on our first date at Eight Settlers Distillery, completely unaware that six years to the day later, on July 17, 2027, we’d be getting married, and that same place would become part of our wedding weekend as our rehearsal dinner spot. Looking back, it feels like our lives aligned at exactly the right moment. Every step, every season, brought us to each other when it truly mattered. From the very beginning, there was something deeper, something that felt steady, certain, and right in a way that’s hard to explain. Like, somehow, we both just knew. Braxton is my calm, grounded, peaceful counterpart to my outgoing, free-spirited nature, and sometimes, we even switch roles. We balance each other in the best way — we’re teammates in every sense, and it feels like our souls found each other exactly as they were always meant to. I can’t wait to marry him and celebrate the start of forever surrounded by the people we love most! - Sydney