So for those that don’t know, Lawrence and I met in early July 2021 by matching on not one, but two different dating apps. When I missed the notification of our match on Bumble, Lawrence sent me a message on Tinder that was just so sweet and so thoughtful I just couldn’t ignore it. Over the next few days we talked for hours, laughing constantly, and never seeming to run out of things to say (little did I know I was keeping him up WAY past his usual time—oops). A few days later we went on our very first date to a wonderful little Tex-Mex restaurant in Hoover called Habaneros and never wanted it to end. That night we decided to officially start dating. And, nearly five years later, we’re still having just as much fun!

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From the beginning, everything felt easy. We communicated effortlessly, often finishing each other’s sentences, and we just fit. A few months in, I found myself telling my best friend (and now Matron of Honor) that talking to Lawrence felt like I was talking to my future husband — something I’d never said before, but somehow already knew. Since then, we’ve shared so many adventures together: trips to Nashville, Disney World, Gulf Shores, Knoxville, Charlotte, and Wellsburg — each one adding another chapter to our story. But our biggest leap by far came in 2023, when we decided to uproot both our lives and move to the Washington, D.C. area. Being far from family hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been incredibly rewarding to watch Lawrence thrive in his career, explore new places together and with friends, and continue building a life together that truly feels like ours.

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Our relationship is equal parts love, chaos, trust, and fun. So when it came time to get engaged, we did it our way. After designing the ring together, Lawrence hid it as part of a long-running inside joke we’d played for years, turning the moment into something playful and uniquely ours. There was no big question to ask — we already knew — and that made it all the more meaningful. For us, marriage won’t change how we love or commit to each other, but it does give us a moment to celebrate it and to stand together, surrounded by the people we love, and say out loud what we're already doing: choosing each other, every day, forever.