While a marriage is often a symbol of the start of a life spent together, Brooke and Matt decided to get a few chapters of their story out of the way before tying the knot. By the time of their wedding in 2027, Brooke and Matt will have already spent nearly half of their lives together. They were first acquainted in 2008, sharing homeroom as they began sixth grade at Endeavor Charter School in Raleigh. However, this is not a story about love at first sight. In fact, it was later discovered that Matt had received a negative review next to his photo in one of Brooke’s middle school yearbooks from that time. Luckily for Matt, Brooke did not even recognize him years later as she sat across the room from him in their eleventh grade English class, where they would be reacquainted. Brooke’s growing interest in sports medicine at the time allowed Matt to leverage a recently broken hand into an icebreaker. That was followed by lunch dates, movie dates, and trips to Smith Mountain Lake, and before long, they were inseparable. They both ended up at East Carolina University, where they spent the next four years together. Like most people at that age, it proved to be a transformative period filled with ups and downs, but throughout it all, they maintained a steady and loving commitment to one another. During this time, they added their first four legged family member when Matt adopted their dog, Maisy. Following their time in Greenville, Matt and Brooke found themselves back in Raleigh, where they began their careers and the next chapter of their lives together. This period was filled with new friends and travel, but also a global pandemic and the challenges that came with it. Eventually, Brooke decided to begin travel nursing. It did not take much convincing for Matt to quit his job and follow her wherever life took them next. This gave them the opportunity to spend a month traveling across Europe, where they fell in love with Greece and jokingly dreamed of returning one day to get married there. The next chapter led them to Charlottesville, Virginia, in what was originally planned to be a three month pit stop. The mountains and ample wineries kept them there for over two years as they continued to form lifelong memories. This chapter was full of hikes, ski trips, and mountain sunsets, and it was during this time that they added another four legged family member by adopting their cat, Gator. All of these memories were highlighted by their engagement in April of 2024. After a day spent hiking to a waterfall and a nap on the car ride home, Brooke walked into the backyard of their house and lifted an upside down garden pot, expecting to find a huge frog Matt claimed to have caught. To her shock and surprise, she found only a small box with a ring inside and a teary eyed man now on one knee behind her. Life has now led them back to where it all began. Brooke was accepted into Duke University’s CRNA program, Matt accepted a new job with a commercial roofing company, and they moved back to Raleigh in early 2025. Both Matt and Brooke would say they have grown tremendously from the naive high schoolers who first fell in love, and their love has grown right alongside them. Through different chapters and phases of life, they have remained dedicated and committed to one another. They are now excited to celebrate the experiences they have shared and the life that lies ahead with the people who have shaped their journey and played such an important part along the way.