We're becoming the Ray's!

Our love story begins back in 2017, when I (Kayla) made the decision to move from my hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia to Athens, Georgia to live with my Aunt and Uncle to not only help with my cousins, but to help find my own path in life. Even though I had visited multiple times before, it was daunting to move to a new state where I knew no one else, and I originally had every intention of moving back home to Virginia once I felt I had things figured out. I truly had no idea the best was yet to come. I was starting to realize making friends in a new place as an adult was very hard, especially at only 20 years old. My Aunt had given me some advice I thought about frequently, she said “When you move to a new place, it takes exactly one year before you’ll get comfortable and start making friends.” I didn’t believe her at first, and It wasn’t until April 2018, exactly 1 year after I moved to Georgia, I realized she was right and I met Jesse. Jesse was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia and we had found each other through social media. Our first date was more relaxed than a normal first date would be, we realized we were at the same point in our lives and knew what we wanted. We clicked almost instantly, and after the first date we just knew we wanted to see each other again. We felt so comfortable to be ourselves around each other, and even though we hadn’t known each other for long, it felt like we had known each other for years. Jesse and I had dated for about a month before making things official. He’s a southern gentleman, and given my close relationship with my dad, he insisted he meet my dad first before officially asking me to be his girlfriend. So, Memorial Day weekend in May 2018, I asked him if he wanted to come home to Virginia with me for his first time to meet my family, and on May 26, 2018 he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. We watched our relationship grow into a love you dream about having with someone. Not only were we head over heels for each other, we became each other’s best friend and knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Over the years we helped each other grow and change in ways we never imagined, Jesse became my home and I knew I was meant to build the life I always dreamt of with him in Georgia. Jesse had planned on proposing for some time, but if you know Jesse, you know he’s not going to do it unless he feels it’s perfect, he also doesn’t like to be too predictable. He knew I wanted my family to be there to witness the engagement, but given that they lived in Virginia, I had accepted that may not be possible unless we drove home again. Of course, Jesse made it happen. 1 week before our 5 year anniversary in May 2023, we had already had a trip to Nashville, Tennessee planned with my mom, step dad, sister, aunt, and my uncle to attend a Stevie Nicks concert as well as a late celebration of my sisters 21st birthday. We spent the last day walking through Nashville to find the infamous angel wings painted in an alley to get pictures with. When he came to take a picture with me, he turned to my ear and said “Hey, will you marry me?” and got down on one knee as I turned to look at him, unsure of if I was going to cry or scream with excitement. We then celebrated this new exciting chapter at a nearby rooftop bar, and we cannot wait to see where life as husband and wife takes us!