The Connection:

It all began when Dylan decided to make a major life change. He contemplated moving to Wilmington, North Carolina from Poughkeepsie, New York and his first steps towards this move was finding a job. He contacted Little Loaf (Julia's bakery) 3 days after the grand opening. Claiming to have the same passion as Julia for the trade and love for bread and pastry, he insisted on connecting with Julia for a potential job at her bakery. Julia, always getting straight to the point, requested a phone-call interview with Dylan the following week.

The Interview:

It's simple... the two spoke on the phone for 2 hours and about 15 minutes of the conversation was about their experience with bread and pastry. When they hung up with each other, they both knew and felt that this was the start of something beautiful. If not a work relationship or a romantic relationship, at the very least a strong friendship. Later in their timeline, they both admit to have felt funny and almost child-like after this experience. Dylan claims that he could not stop smiling. Julia claims that she openly admitted to a friend "there was just something about his voice."

The In-Between:

Leading up to the day that they met in person, Dylan and Julia stayed in touch and would text at least once a week and chat on the phone once a month. Each conversation beginning with a bread or pastry-related topic and ending in a lengthy, fulfilling talk about life. They shared many satisfying phone calls sometimes bringing them to tears, causing them fits of laughter or provoking chills and thoughts of what it would be like to meet and one day share a meal.

The Meeting:

Finally, Dylan made his way to North Carolina and showed up at the front door of Little Loaf. He was greeted warmly by Julia and they hugged for the first time. The weeks to follow involved a lot of bread and pastry, as they predicted, but also many meals and experiences shared between the two of them and Charlotte (Julia's sister). The first week was cordial between the two of them and Julia treaded with caution (as Dylan could one day be her employee). The second week, both of their professional facades broke away little-by-little and the two were soon faced with the reality of their situation... they were in love. Julia had decided to tell Dylan how she felt as this was the right thing to do considering their situation. If Dylan were to move away from home to begin a life in North Carolina and bake for Little Loaf, it was only fair that he knew that his boss could not employ him feeling how she felt. As Julia is known to do, she meticulously planned out exactly how she would tell Dylan, when it would happen, where they would go... And in typical Dylan-fashion, he unexpectedly beat her to the punch with a kiss at the bakery before she had the chance to execute her plan. Dylan was the last employee at work that day and Julia had come back that afternoon to find him there. "Oh! I didn't realized you were still here!" Julia continued to talk about work and they both were standing in front of the cooler door as Julia was pointing at the prep list. She looked up at Dylan who was grinning... "Why are you looking at me like that?" This is when Dylan spontaneously kissed Julia for the first time. Long story short, it was obvious that they both had feelings for each other and they both felt that they had met their soulmate.

The Relationship:

After this day, things moved quickly. Dylan moved to North Carolina, they moved in together, bought a house together a year later, and began planning a life together. It seemed fast and risky, but truly it was the easiest decision either of them had ever made. They both realized the truth behind the saying "when you know you know" and leaned fully into trusting their fate. The year and a half they spent together before their engagement felt like 10 years of life together as they grew closer and closer with every moment passing. Everything they want, believe in and strive for align. They only grew stronger in love and are now each others' best friend. Words cannot describe the strange (and at the same time not-so-strange) events to follow that only proved over and over again how "right" this union is and how perfect it truly feels. There is no fear, no questions and no doubt that this match is one that will last forever.

The engagement:

The week leading up to the day Dylan proposed, the outer rainbands of a hurricane hit Wilmington and the town was experiencing nasty weather and flooding. The Saturday that week, August 10th, began with more rain. The two worked their usual 10 hour Saturday shift, when suddenly Dylan rushed out of Little Loaf and told Julia "I'll see you at home when you're done!" Julia had to stay back and talk with an employee. She ended up staying for 2 hours longer at the bakery, tying up loose ends. Meanwhile (unbeknownst to Julia) Dylan was rushing out of the bakery to pick up the engagement ring! The ring took 7 months to make because of many trials and tribulations, hence Dylan's eagerness to pick it up. During Julia's time at the bakery that afternoon, Dylan was at home with the ring. He had already planned where he was going to propose, as well as what he would say, but now needed to decide on when it was going to happen. Maybe on Monday when they both had the day off? Maybe on Tuesday if the storm was over by then? He looked outside and noticed that after days of rain, the sun was out. Brimming with joy, nerves and excitement, he realized that there was no way that he could wait any longer. "Today is the day." While Julia was still at the bakery he called her to say "the rain has let up and it is actually nice out, do you want to go on a walk when you get off?" When Julia finally got home, she had already forgotten about the walk and started to vent about her day, rummage through the pantry for a snack and claim to need to "de-stress" and "relax." She then looked up at Dylan and saw that he had his boots on and was 100% ready to go on a walk. "Do you want to skip the walk?" He said. "No, no! Sorry I already forgot! I'll just bring this protein bar with me, it will be good for me to let out some stress and walk!" They left the house and set forth towards their favorite place in Wilmington. Luckily enough, their home is in walking distance of this special spot and they visit often (Burnt Mill Creek). While Julia was talking at top-speed, Dylan's heart was racing just as fast. They were walking along-side the creek and Dylan stopped for a moment near a beautiful tree and stepped of of the path. "Hey Jule, can we stop for a second, I feel like I have something stuck in my boot and it's hurting me." "Oh no honey! Are you okay? Do you need my help?" And then it happened. On his knee, Dylan pulled out the engagement ring from his sock and the two immediately started crying. They shared a moment of silence and tears and Dylan began to speak. He said a series of beautifully rehearsed words and asked Julia to marry him. Of course, she said "yes" and they celebrated joyously. They both feel that this was the best day of their life, so far. Being engaged is a major milestone and proof that they achieved what they both once thought was unachievable.

Now, they are planning their wedding and cannot wait to finally become one! Thank you for reading and for being a part of their story!

Although we love giving and receiving physical gifts, what would mean the most to us would be help towards starting our future together! Thank you all so much for contributing to our funds!