Ben and Melanie met in Mrs. Wilbourn's 5th grade class way back in 2004. The fear of cooties quickly disappeared and a friendship bloomed instead! They bonded when Mel introduced Ben to The Beatles with a cassette tape from her dad's collection and her mom's homemade cookies. Ben was the first boy that Melanie ever had over to her house and he's still a fan of Neiman Marcus cookies and The Fab Four to this day! In high school, friendship turned into crushes and inside jokes, but it wasn't meant to be, as Melanie and her family moved away to Georgia. They would see each other whenever Mel visited Birmingham and their friendship grew. In college, Ben and Mel would visit each other at their schools; Ben at The University of Alabama and Melanie at Birmingham-Southern College. Into adulthood, they remained friends, as they watched and supported each other while they grew up, made mistakes, lived in different places, and navigated their twenties. Melanie spent her time as a musical theatre performer around the country, and Ben moved to Colorado working as a financial analyst. After over twenty years of friendship and growth, they began to wonder: Could we? Should we? Can 20 years of best friendship + a long-standing high school crush become something more? So, despite the risks and being careful with their friendship, Melanie flew out to Colorado to see Ben and tell him she loved him! After a wonderful weekend in Denver, Mel and Ben decided to go from friends to partners on top of a mountain in the rain. So they began a long-distance, whirlwind, 8 month romance that was twenty years in the making! In May of 2024, Ben surprised Melanie with a private proposal in Nashville amongst their families and friends. And now they're here! And YOU'RE here reading their story on their cute, little wedding website! CRAZY!