The first time I saw the sparkle in Celia’s eyes, I knew she was something special. The way she smiled and laughed with her friends after that Auburn football game let me know that she was an incredibly warm and bubbly person. I was hooked. I got her number from her room mate, and the rest is history. Our first official date was a Christmas cocktail fraternity party at Auburn. Who would have thought that from that point on, we would be each other’s forever date.

Many football games, study sessions, and nights out later, we graduated Auburn together in December of 2017. The question now was how we could stay together. I moved to Birmingham for work and Celia went home to spend some time with her family. We were headed down the classic long distance path. Refusing to make her “the one that got away” I boldly asked Celia to move with me to Houston, TX for a job opportunity. At the time I didn’t realize I was asking her to take a huge risk. She is so brave!

We moved to Houston, and I watched with pure joy as she quickly meshed with all of my high school friends. Only Celia could do that. In addition to making a move to a different state, Celia and I had started our life long adventure of traveling the world. We had toured the east coast of the US, explored the beautiful country of Italy, and immersed ourselves in the Island of Hawaii. I always wondered if she thought I would propose on one of those trips... but my true intention was to ask for her hand in the place closest to her heart - Huntsville. With her Dad’s help, I took her to the highest point in the city, and got down on a knee in front of the giant cross that she loves. She said yes!

C&J

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception