If you ask us how we met, the answer is a little complicated since we’ve actually known each other our entire lives. We both grew up in Charlotte and attended the same schools from elementary through college, always seeming to be in each other’s orbit. Our moms even worked in the same school system, so looking back, there were little connections everywhere. We were in the same third-grade class and would hang out after school with Tory while the three of us waited for our moms to finish work. I also used to cheer for Cole’s football team at SCAA. At the time, none of it seemed particularly significant, but looking back, it’s pretty funny to realize how often our paths crossed before we ever actually got together. It wasn’t until our junior year of high school that I started having a crush on Cole. We sat next to each other in Mr. Cooper’s class, and that’s when I started to see Cole as more than just a classmate. Naturally, I decided the best way to win him over was to constantly bake cupcakes for him. To this day, he still claims I’m going to make him diabetic. Senior year, I convinced Cole to take an elective class with me that was taught by our school’s soccer coach (S/O Coach Merrill). We spent a lot of time together in that class and worked on multiple projects. I made the PowerPoints, and Cole presented them. We worked well together since I have a fear of public speaking, while Cole has never met a spotlight he didn’t like. I also started going to his soccer games that year. I told Cole I was there for the extra credit Coach Merrill gave students for attending, but really, I just wanted an excuse to watch him play. On December 12, 2014, Cole finally asked me to be his girlfriend, and we’ve been together ever since. For our first date, Cole picked me up and took me to Harry’s, a restaurant we still love today. He forgot to make a reservation and was pretty embarrassed when we got there, but luckily he knew the host and she helped us skip the line. Since then, we’ve been through a lot of life together. We made it through college, two rounds of long distance, a move to Tennessee, and plenty of adventures along the way. We adopted two cats, Miso and Rupert, and traveled to some of our favorite places together. Eventually, we found our way back home to Charlotte in 2023. Coming back to the place where we both grew up has made this chapter feel pretty special. Then came our first trip to Europe. On the last day, while in Barcelona, Cole proposed on the beach and completely surprised me. I had planned our entire trip down to the minute, so I was convinced there was no way it would happen on this trip. Spoiler alert: I was wrong. He had successfully convinced me a proposal was coming on a completely different trip, waited until the day after our 10-year anniversary, and pulled off the best surprise! Naturally, wedding planning began immediately. And now, after almost 12 years together, we’re getting married on the day it all started: December 12, 2026. It’s kind of crazy to think about how much has happened since those elementary school days. Somehow, almost 12 years together has flown by, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this next chapter with all of the people who have been part of our story along the way!