We first met through a mutual friend at Clemson University. At the time, neither of us had even considered the possibility of anything more than friends. That changed in April 2020. Zachary wished Emily a happy birthday that year… and we haven’t stopped talking since.


Our first “date” actually started with lunch with our mutual friend, but by the afternoon, we ditched the group and explored Greenville, SC together. For dinner, we grabbed Chick-fil-A to go and ate it while watching the sunset from the Richardson parking garage. Simple, perfect, and still one of our favorite memories.


On August 4th, 2020, we were watching a movie when Emily secretly wrote in her phone’s Notes app that this was the day she knew she was in love with Zachary. She was also the one who said I love you first. From then on, our relationship has been full of milestones—Emily took her first flight and cruise with Zachary, we moved in together, survived a few months of long-distance, adopted another cat, and both graduated from Clemson.


Some of our best days have been at Clemson basketball and football games, or at concerts—especially the two times we saw Noah Kahan. In Fall 2022, Zachary studied abroad in Genoa, Italy, while Emily started her first semester at Clemson. It was hard being so far apart, but we learned to make our relationship a priority no matter the distance.
We love cheering for Clemson, Penn State, and UNC (football and basketball), watching movies (when Emily can stay awake), showing each other new music, and spending time at home with our cats. Zachary has a habit of repeating random phrases all the time, and Emily is hands-down the better cook…although Zachary can make a mean plate of eggs.


One of our favorite trips was to Atlanta, GA, to see Noah Kahan for the first time. It was nothing extravagant—just the aquarium, staying with friends, and relaxing together—but it was exactly what we needed. We love to go on adventures to find new trinket shops to walk through and new restaurants to obsess over.


On July 5th, 2025—the last night of our cruise—Zachary had originally planned to propose the following week. But he couldn’t wait any longer. He took Emily up to the top deck for pictures, and when she turned around, he was down on one knee. Emily was in complete shock (but thrilled). Zachary was just relieved she would stop sending him ring ideas.

We’re so excited to start this next chapter of our lives together! Our biggest goal is to keep God at the center of our marriage and to live out the love of Jesus in everything we do.


From the beginning, we’ve said we want our wedding to feel completely “us.” And if you know us, you know that means a little bit of fun, a lot of laughter, and so much love. We are so excited to celebrate with all of you!!