It all started when Emily said she would never join a dating app. Funny enough, she did, and now she's THAT girl that can say she met her husband online (lol). Emily and Jacob met online in January of 2022. Somehow, someway, their paths crossed despite the distance. Emily was in Raleigh, NC preparing to move to Asheville and Jacob was living in Chesapeake, VA but at that point was on travel for work in Texas. 3 weeks went by and Jacob drove to Raleigh, as promised, and took Emily out on a date. No time had passed before sparks flew. A week later, Emily moved to Asheville, but things had really picked up between the two. Shortly thereafter, Jacob asked Emily to be his girlfriend and that's where things really started.

Emily and Jacob battled a 7 hour long distance between the two of them for nearly 2 years. There were 1-2 weekends a month where they got to spend time together, in between the additional travel jobs where Jacob was out of the country for weeks at a time. Though their relationship may have felt tested at times, it certainly grew stronger with time.

In the fall of 2023, the couple made the decision to move in together, knowing they were in this for the long run. Together they agreed that spending every day with your best friend is one of the greatest blessings of all time. Shortly after moving in together, the two took in a stray kitten who now owns their household (or so she thinks).

Come August of 2024, Emily and Jacob were preparing for an amazing weekend celebrating Emily's brother, Ryan, graduating from the United States Marine Corps training. To keep the good vibes going that weekend, Jacob had planned an entire "day date" with all sorts of activities for him and Emily to do, Emily not knowing any of it. It started with grabbing coffee with her best friend, to going downtown and doing an escape room, then eating amazing German food, and shopping for the dress that Emily was going to get engaged in later that day. In the heat of the North Carolina summer, the Duke University Botanical Gardens were boasting with dreamy florals, and that is where Jacob got down on one knee and asked Emily to marry him. Through her tears and her short breaths, she said yes (cause why wouldn't she? Have you MET Jacob?!). Not only was she surprised by this being THE moment, but her two best friends popped out from a bush and got to be there to witness the best day of her life!

It was no accident that the two found each other. Emily and Jacob are so incredibly excited to spend the rest of their lives together, building up their dreams as one. They could not ask for a better group of people to love and support them as they walk this life hand in hand. Thank you for being a part of their story.