Megan & Hailey met sophomore year at FSU, where Megan was a Campus Recreation Supervisor assigned to be the liaison to the Skeet & Trap team Hailey played on. Soon they became coworkers, friends, and finally roommates! The two bonded over their love for adventures, good country music (with line dancing of course!) horses, and the older (better) seasons of the Bachelor. Long live the #WildeAdventuresWithHP Instagram hashtag ☀️

Meeting in the Fall of 2014 when Hailey joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Alex became her honorary “Big Sister”. The pair could be found often pulling long study sessions upstairs in Strozier Library, volunteering for Relay for Life, or on the *rare* occasion for Hailey at an EDM show (in wedges, oh the regret). Both share a love of good BBQ, intense organization skills, & being #BossLadies 🔥

Best friends since high school, Hailey and Maddie were the compliment to each other’s distinct and bright personality. While Maddie went north to Penn State and Hailey went east to Florida State, the pair had weekly phone calls and FaceTimes to check up on each other’s wild adventures through college and into the early post-grad years. Both continue to cheer the other on through job changes, moves, and all the chaos brought on by the pandemic. The best friendships are time-tested, with plenty of laughs along the way.

After being on FSU's shotgun team Hailey & Jake Correia were inseparable. Fishing on Lake Jackson and *helping* Jake graduate, the years were golden, but they got even better after Jake took a new girl out to see the pink moon. “I was meant to be friends with Jake so, eventually, I would get to have you as a best friend.” Meeting while HP soon after, they became fast friends - bonding over 7am spin classes (still shocked you got me to exercise before the sun rose), pink starburst shots, and of course Happy Hour at the one and only Ken’s Tavern 🦅 🍻

Longtime best friend to the groom, Hailey met Ashley at the “Friends Christmas Gingerbread Building Competition” and immediately clicked. Hailey lost the competition for sure, but won a new friend for life and some bragging rights with Matt’s friends. Ashley also took the couple’s first ever picture of just the pair, mustache and all!

Starting out as shift mates in 2020, Matt and Tyler became very close on the long nights in Miramar Beach. Stirring the pot (legally) while kicking butt and putting people in jail. Their crazy shenanigans continued well into Hailey joining the shift: conspiracy theories, Shenanigans the Raccoon, that “first” shift dinner (which thank you to Alex for going along with it), and ALL of the calls taken by Tyler so Hailey and Matthew would sit car-to-car just a *little* bit longer.

Meeting while at the 2019 Law Enforcement Academy at Northwest Florida State College, daily lunches were the foundation of Taylor and Matthew’s friendship. Food during the academy grew to many nights at Buffalo Wild Wings (BDuuuuubs) with their close crew of cadets. They lived through being tased, pepper sprayed, and Matthew’s unfortunate Irish Car Bomb Incident. As they graduated and began working for their separate agencies, they would still find time to meet up and eat together while the other was on shift. Taylor got to meet Hailey prior to the pair dating, telling Matthew his coworker was perfect for him and was *also* a Florida State Alum. He even told Hailey about the Irish Car Bomb, inspiring the *Gin Shot* at the first Halloween party.

Meeting in 2020 at the sheriff’s office, Matthew and Freddy would become friends in the booking room of the Walton County Jail. Matthew will say Freddy “forced” him to sit and talk before letting him drive back to the south end of the county, but for those of us that know that 40+ mile drive, Matthew wasn’t “forced” to stay - he was just stalling. While there were plenty of jokes and laughs, there were some teaching moments too and the ever made threat about bringing up another arrestee to the jail. Their friendship grew as Hailey started working at the sheriff’s office; as Freddy became the biggest supporter of the pairs’ Halloween Parties (#winnable). Freddy also gave the couples dogs, Zoli & Zeta, their pasta-based nicknames of Lasagna & Ziti!

JJ and Matthew have known each other since their elementary school days; becoming friends first and then learning they were cousins! Growing up together, they spent their time outside fishing, on late night drives down a 2-lane US 331 S, working during the summer at the famed Shrimp Shack on 30A. There were nights filled with food, friendship, bowling until both parted ways for college; Matthew at FSU and JJ for Troy.

Brother of the bride and soon-to-be brother-in-law to the groom, RJ and Matt have come to know each other very well in the last 2 years. The two can be found talking shop about fishing whenever together, or taking turns ribbing Hailey for a laugh. RJ has said his sister finally “picked a good one” and you know it’s true if RJ, let Matt drive his truck the first weekend they ever met in a small Nebraska town.

Official Keeper of the Rings and handler for the Flower Girl, Shelby is a longtime friend of the groom and now a constant in the bride's life as well. Matthew, Shelby, and Ashley all attended Freeport High School together and started a friendship that has grown to become a little family, one Hailey happily got to join. Hailey & Shelby share a love of all things T-Swift, going to bed at a reasonable hour, and of course the lovely Flower Girl!

The cutest little ray of sunshine you will ever meet, in the form of Matthew’s “niece” Aurora. She is the daughter of Bridesmaid Ashley Bates and one of Matthew’s long-time best friends.