Carolyn and Thomas met in a busy nightclub in downtown St. Louis on the 21st night of September. From the moment they met, the spark was undeniable. From that point forward, they seemingly spent every free minute with one another. Whether they were attending ZTA events together, traveling to Springfield to visit Carolyn's family, or going to Thomas' swim meets, it was impossible to keep them apart.

In the summer of 2019 Carolyn traveled to Oregon and Thomas' hometown in California to meet his family and friends. They explored beaches, restaurants, and Thomas showed Carolyn a taste of west coast living.

2020 was the year of COVID. Carolyn's semester abroad in Madrid was cut short, and she came home to her relieved parents and boyfriend. Despite being in the same house and never apart for almost 2 weeks, Carolyn and Thomas never tired of each other's company. They would fill their time with home workouts, at-home date nights, backyard camping, and LOTS of movies. Even with all that was going on in the world, they made the best of every minute.

The last two years of college and were filled with swim meets, concerts, school dances, and many long nights studying for nursing exams - Carolyn considered Thomas to be an honorary nursing student. Thomas completed an internship in California during the summer of 2021, during which Carolyn flew out to visit for 3 weeks. They spent time line dancing, cooking, enjoying beach days, and considering what life together might look like in California. Over senior year's winter break, the pair traveled to Dallas to explore the city in anticipation of moving somewhere new after graduation.

Thomas' summer internship eventually led to a full time position after graduation, leading the two back out to the west coast. Thomas worked in finance, while Carolyn studied up for her RN licensure exam and passed in July 2022, making her an official RN, working at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In October 2022, they adopted their first child, Nova - a shy, anxious, but full-of-love gray tabby cat. Ultimately, a career in finance was not the right path for Thomas, and he made a career change, now working in Maintenance and Facility management.

This past September, Thomas and Carolyn traveled to Europe, and Thomas (unbeknownst to Carolyn) had an engagement ring packed away in his luggage. The couple began their trip in Edinburgh, Scotland, exploring castles and whisky distilleries alike. After a few days, they continued their trip to Ireland, making their way through Dublin's pubs, breweries, museums, and famous Trinity College. Next, they took a train ride to Ireland's west coast to visit Galway and its surrounding towns. The pair enjoyed high tea at Ashford Castle, where Thomas struck up conversation with another couple, who offered marriage wisdom and advice. The next day, Thomas would propose on the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, asking Carolyn to spend forever with him. The couple ended their travel ventures in Madrid, Spain, where Carolyn excitedly showed Thomas the city in which she lived that semester in college. It was the perfect place to start the celebration of their engagement.

C&T

Ceremony & Reception