We’re Darah and Garett, two people with deep roots in Eastern North Carolina. I was born and raised in Blounts Creek, and while Garett grew up in Virginia Beach, his family’s from Ayden, NC — a place that’s always felt like home to him. We met as students at East Carolina University, where a shared sense of humor and mutual ease made it feel like we’d known each other forever. What started as a simple connection quickly grew into something steady, real, and lasting.

Over the past five years, we’ve built a life full of laughter, long talks, and quiet understanding. Garett is the one who can always make me smile, and I’ve never had to be anyone but myself around him. He says he fell in love with my heart, the way I care for others, and the friendship that’s become the foundation of our relationship.

We got engaged in St. Croix — the same island where my parents were married — during a trip that turned out to be more special than I could have imagined. Garett somehow managed to sneak my dream dress into his carry-on, and when he proposed on the beach at sunset, with a photographer waiting to capture the moment, it was intimate, thoughtful, and completely unforgettable.

We’re so excited to begin this next chapter and can’t wait to celebrate our love with all of you. Here’s to the beginning of forever.

With love,

Darah & Garett