2:00 reception starts (welcome and games) 3-5 taco truck and games! 5:30 toast & cake cutting 6:30 Bonfires start 7-9 Bonfires, s’mores and dancing 9- Bonfires until you’re ready to leave

Aly: He showed up at my church around November, and would come early every Sunday wearing his headphones, listening to music until service started. Since he’s the tallest guy in the room I always noticed him. It wasn’t until January, when he was talking to a mutual friend, when I went up to introduce myself. After that we started becoming friends and hanging out at church events. Eric: We officially met in late December after I had been attending the church for about a month. One of my brothers (Isaiah Gray) and I were having a conversation about Youth Group leadership and he greeted Aly and then introduced us. She had on this terrible hoodie (Eagles), and me being part of The Dallas Cowboy nation made a joke about her choice of attire. We would talk to each other about how our lives outside of church were going, and befriended each other in this manner over the course of the next few months

Aly: After a couple months of being friends he started creeping on me at church. One Sunday in March he made it a point to find me and make sure I didn’t leave without us talking, and continued to make sure I didn’t get out of his sights for both services. After church he took me outside where he, very awkwardly, asked for my number so we could get to know each other better. We spent the next three weeks talking about all of our values, beliefs and what we’re looking for in a relationship to see if it made sense to start dating. Eric: I could sense that there was something more than just friendly conversation underneath the surface of our interactions. She was acting a little different around me and I could sense that she had feelings more than I was seeing on the surface, and at this time I too was looking at her in a different light. I finally built up the courage to state my intentions, and ask for her phone number, in a super awkward moment of nervousness on my part.

Aly: After talking on the phone, and him coming over to my place to cook me dinner for a few weeks, he officially asked me out… and took me on our first date, out to dinner. Eric: Our first conversations were all about making sure the callings that God has on our lives meshed, and our values and morals were aligned. After weeks of talking on the phone, we had our first semi date one evening on the beach. One of my passions is cuisine so I cooked for Aly, and we started seeing more of each other. We decided after seeing that we had something special and that this was worth investing in, that we would go to church together and in a way this made our union official. After months of dating with the intentions of potential marriage, not just dating for the sake of dating, she went to Europe and I realized before she left, that I could see myself spending my life with this beautiful woman, and there was much conversation about this realization on both our parts. There has been much growth and healing from our past throughout the course of our union, and the most important aspect of our relationship is that we both genuinely want to serve God, and we both want what our Father wants for our lives.

Aly: He took me up to Oceanside pier, where we watched dolphins jumping over the sunset. Had delicious tacos, and sat on the swings by the water… and then drove home. The next night we were out on my balcony and he proposed! Eric: When she returned from Europe there was a eager expectation that I would propose in the near future, and every time we went out she was thinking this could be it!!! Anyone who truly knows Aly, knows that patience was not always her strong suit and this definitely added pressure and made it increasingly hard to truly surprise her. I found myself having to reveal more than I desired, in order to calm her ever growing expectations of a proposal. The proposal did not go as planned, and the whole situation surrounding it was much different than I expected. I was all about the fairytale proposal and it didn’t turn out that way, but it was a perfect example of what our relationship had been up to this point. It was not ideal, there were ups and downs, but in the end we love each other and that’s what was highlighted in my proposal.

Aly: And the end of the day we are excited about what God is doing for and through us! We both know we are called to live a great life for Him. Our journey to this point has not been easy, as God continues to teach us to love and serve each other. We are excited to see what He has in store for our future together! We want to thank everyone who has come along side us these past few months as we have been preparing for marriage. We could not have done it without each and everyone of you and we can’t wait to celebrate with you soon! Eric: Life is not a fairytale, life is full of ups and downs, and requires effort and hard work. From premarital counseling, to all the married couples we have in our corner, that we glean from, I realize marriage is no different. We put God at the head of our union and love Him first and foremost, and then love one another as we love ourselves, and we can navigate and weather the storms of life that are sure to come. I have been through a lot over the course of my life and my past isn’t my present, or my future for that matter, and I know Aly can say the same. At the end of the day our union is bigger than us, and I know God has a plan for us. We place our focus on Him, and faith in Him, to lead and guide us into the union and life He has called us into.