Joshua and Ava met during their second semester at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. After class one day, Josh invited Ava to McDonald’s, and from that point on they spent nearly every day together. They quickly bonded over the same music, shared values, and a love for doing something new, whether that meant late-night Waffle House runs, movies, or spontaneous road trips. What began as a simple invitation became a relationship rooted in friendship, consistency, and choosing each other every day. From Florida to Ohio and everywhere in between, they have been side by side ever since.

Joshua proposed to Ava during a family cruise to the Bahamas in celebration of her twenty-first birthday. On the second day of the trip, what Ava believed was a simple family photo session became a private proposal on the beach, surrounded by their loved ones. After returning home, they continued the celebration with an engagement party in Ava’s hometown of Sarasota, Florida, marking the beginning of their next chapter together.