Our story began in 2017 during a two-week work training, far from our homes in Georgia. Aaron came from Seattle, WA, and Ayla from Boise, ID. By chance, we ended up in the same class. On the first day, we were asked to draw a symbol on our name tags that represented us. We both chose an airplane, sharing a love for travel and adventure. Aaron noticed the cute girl across the room with the same symbol, but it was Ayla who approached him first during a break, teasing him for being a copycat. The rest of the two weeks became a blur as Aaron couldn’t help but follow Ayla around. After training, we stayed in touch every day, and two months later, Ayla made her first visit to Seattle to see Aaron.

On August 21, 2017, we set out to see the total solar eclipse in McCall, Idaho. Due to our poor planning skills and timing we didn’t make it to McCall in time. Instead, we stopped randomly on the side of the road to witness the eclipse. As we watched the sun through our glasses, Aaron seized the moment he’d been contemplating for a long time and asked Ayla to be his girlfriend. Naturally, she said yes.

We had a long distance relationship for two and a half years, spending countless hours on the phone, enjoying numerous weekend getaways, and traveling to various countries and states. Our time together was filled with concerts, national parks, camping trips, great food, and falling deeper in love with each other.

In July 2019, Aaron received an offer for his dream job and relocated to Florida. Just a month later, Ayla moved across the country to follow him and they bought a house and moved in together. Ironically moving to Fernandina Beach FL, just a 45 minute drive from where we originally met.

During an anniversary trip to Jamaica, Aaron surprised Ayla by finally popping the big question while watching the sunset. After five years of being together, Aaron and Ayla were finally engaged. A few months after the engagement Ayla received a job offer she couldn't turn down and both planned on moving to California, unfortunately, Aaron's work transfer was never approved causing another year and three months of long distance. Which made it every hard to plan a wedding.

Its been a long engagement and a lot of you have been wondering when this wedding was going to happen. Just a little over 2 years we are excited to share our big day with all of you!