Victoria and Joel grew up on opposite sides of the country until they met during their freshmen year of college in Collegedale, Tennessee. They ended up in the same friend group, which meant they hung out together quite often. At that point though, they were nothing more than just friends. Time did its magical thing. The more time Vic and Joel spent together, the more they realized they were fond of each other's company. They seemed to naturally gravitate towards each other when they went out in groups. From studying at the library, to working at the Village Market Deli, and grabbing late night tater tots at Sonic, Vic and Joel learned more about each other and the interests/values they shared. For Joel, he began to see Victoria in a new light. On a drive back from Nashville, he thought it might be a good idea to pursue her romantically. For Victoria, it would take a few months and a spring break group trip to New York City to recognize that she, too, was starting to feel differently about Joel. Although these feelings were slowly growing, they weren’t made obvious to the other individual. It took them a while (and some hinting and nudging from close friends) to admit it, even to themselves. There was definitely some chemistry and they were no longer "just friends". They finally expressed their feelings for each other after Joel dropped Victoria off from an ASL class event one Thursday evening. The truth was finally out! The next few months would consist of dates, face time calls, a 30 hour Greyhound trip, and figuring out where this relationship was headed. Fast forward to December 28, 2017 — Joel visited California for Christmas break, per his family's usual holiday tradition. He planned on spending the day in Redlands with Victoria. They ran through orange groves, shared some coffee cake at Carolyn’s, and eventually ended their day watching the sunset at Panorama Point where Joel asked Victoria to be his girlfriend. The rest is history!

After about four years of dating and spending post college life together in Florida, Joel felt certain that Victoria was the endgame. Knowing Vic had a soft spot for picnics and sentimental things, Joel decided to create a scrapbook of all the memories he recollected from the beginning of their relationship, which included past love notes he had kept over the years and printed pictures from their adventures together. On Christmas Day, he took Victoria on a picnic at Kraft Azalea Park where he presented her this scrapbook, complete with all the memories and details of their love story, and popped the question. She said yes!

We are very excited to start this new chapter in our lives. Each one of you holds a special place in our hearts and are part of who we are today. We love you and are excited to celebrate together!