Summer of 2017 is when the story of us all began. We were both invited to have a fun weekend trip at a friend’s lake house (shout out Elle Mahoney – Bridesmaid). Having not known much about each other, other than Julia being Matt’s best friend’s sister, and Matt being one of Julia’s brother’s best friends, we started chatting while watching the sunset together at the dock. We got to know each other and there was an instant connection that began our story. That summer, we were inseparable. We grew to know and love each other through hiking, watching sunsets, driving around our hometown, kayaking, and exploring everything we could together. We would stay out to all hours of the night just to do it all again the next day. It was truly a summer out of a movie for both of us. At the end of the summer, we both went our separate ways to start up the 2017 fall semester of college. Knowing how much we had both fallen for each other in such a short period of time, we decided to do a long-distance relationship from Macon, GA to Knoxville, TN.

During our first year together, we grew closer together every month. Long distance had nothing on us and our relationship. As we continued our long-distance relationship throughout college, we looked forward to Christmas breaks, summer breaks, and visiting each other's respective college towns. We love to hike and travel, so we would plan as many trips as we could to be able to continue to experience everything together. Finally in December of 2021, after 4.5 years, we were officially done with long-distance and were finally living in the same city!! It was a brand-new chapter in our relationship, and it only grew stronger. After considering moving out of Atlanta, GA, Julia accepted a new job offer in Nashville, TN and we moved to a new city together in January of 2023.

In October of 2023, we went to Iceland together where everyone thought we would become engaged. Little did everyone know; Matt was planning a whole engagement back in our hometown in November of 2023. On November 25th, 2023, Matt asked Julia to marry him at the top of Mt. Yonah, which was one of the first hikes we ever went on as a couple. The first time we went up, Matt sprained his ankle on the way down and Julia had to carry him. The second time we went up, we were fiancés on the way down. We’d both say the second time hiking Mt. Yonah had a significantly better ending! Matt had Julia’s parents and siblings fly in and gather for a surprise after-engagement party at his parent’s home in our hometown where it all began. After 6.5 years, we have loved every second of dating, are currently loving being fiancés, and can’t wait to love being husband and wife forever. <3