The Short Story: Zack and Casey started as high school acquaintances, grew into college friends, and finally became each other’s life partners and best friends. ♥

The Long Story: Zack and Casey both grew up around Cary, NC and went to Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, NC. They were also both lucky enough to become good friends with the Orn family. Zack and Anders were inseparable throughout high school, and Casey and Kaila became great friends Junior and Senior year.

Casey, Kaila, Zack, and Anders all went their separate ways to different colleges at the end of high school, but summers and holidays brought them all back to Cary a few times per year. The Orn’s garage became the go-to gathering place on those breaks. Anders’s crew of guy friends, and Kaila’s crew of girl friends all started to mingle and become one big friend group. They laughed and played games into the late hours of those nights.

During one holiday break, Zack and Casey found themselves side by side as the New Year’s Eve Countdown began. This is where they shared their first midnight kiss and sparked a romance that would carry on for years to come.

Time moved on, and Zack and Casey bumped into each other on NC State’s campus from time to time, but nothing serious happened during their college years. After graduation, Casey moved to Winston-Salem, NC to start work at Hanesbrands while Zack took a job with the NCDOT in Raleigh. They both lived their separate lives, but never forgot the connection they shared and the joy they felt in each other’s company.

Then one Thanksgiving Zack asked Casey to “catch up” over coffee. They talked for hours and at the end Zack told her how he still thought - after all this time and living in different cities - that they were a perfect match and should be together. Casey was surprised and excited by this proposition and agreed to go on a real date when she came back to town at Christmas.

Needless to say, their date went very well, and they began their semi-long distance relationship between Raleigh and Winston-Salem. After a year of driving back and forth to see each other any time they could, Casey decided it was time to move back home to Raleigh. Zack bought a townhouse that they turned into their first home together.

After a year of staying quarantined at home, Zack and Casey decided it was time for a big adventure. On May 1, 2021 Zack proposed to Casey at Dix Park – one of their favorite places in Raleigh. Less than a month later they bought a house together and moved to Austin, TX to start a new chapter of life full of hiking, biking, paddling, outdoor concerts, and tacos.

They will marry each other on April 1, 2022 and celebrate with their closest friends and family on April 2. They can’t wait to write the rest of their story!

C&Z

Wedding Celebration