We thought it would be fun to share the start of your story from both of our perspectives. Reading each others was so eye opening, because different parts of our story stood out to each of us. If you have ever wondered where it all started, take a journey with both of us below.

For me, our story goes like this… Our first conversations took place on Tinder, I feel like that really gave me a feel for who Kayla was and where her interests lay. We had immediate chemistry and that chemistry kept us talking through our first weeks. Our first date was a testament to the connection that we had made over tinder. We met uptown and walked down Magazine Street to Basin Seafood. We had good drinks and shared a platter of chargrilled oysters while talking about our favorite movies. I knew that we would last when we started in on Tommy Boy and Black Sheep (Two of my childhood favorites). We finished the night down the street at The Bulldog where we talked more and played tic-tac-toe on bar napkins. Over the next few months and weeks we would have a lot of firsts together. Our first New Year’s Eve came and went, followed by Mardi Gras and Easter. The years have gone by and our love for one another has grown with each change of season.

In January of 2020, before Covid-19 took control of the year, Kayla and I had the pleasure of joining my Parents in Mexico for a week to sail with them. Kayla had never been sailing before and I truly hoped that she would love it as much as I do. On the second day of our trip, we were running down the Sea of Cortez with a following sea that was throwing our stern from left to right. It was a really rough ride, but Kayla was a trooper. I know she felt absolutely miserable, but she hung tough. We got through that hard day and Kayla bounced back like I knew she would. The next morning Kayla took over the helm and brought us into Anchor at Isla Partida, near La Paz. Over the next few days, I got the pleasure of teaching Kayla how to snorkel. It took some time to get her comfortable, but once she was in that water there was no stopping her. She was kicking out ahead of me and I could hear her excited yells through the water. At one point she pulled her head out of the water and gave me the biggest, cheesiest grin I have ever seen. For Kayla, it was a big deal to learn how to snorkel and to trust herself in the water, to me it was an even bigger deal for her trust me to teach her.

I am looking forward to celebrating five years of our partnership and love with all of our closest friends and family in November.

The first time Joe and I met is actually my favorite story, but plenty came before that. I remember when I found his profile on Tinder – I just thought he was the cutest thing. He had the biggest smile and felt so warm and inviting. I could tell that he was a down-to-earth guy who knew how to have fun, someone who I thought I would hit it off with. I didn’t make the first move, but I really hoped he would message me and I’m so thankful he did. Funnily enough, he complimented my smile and the conversation just flowed from there. I learned about all of his travels, how he made it down to New Orleans from California, and about his huge family. He mentioned one day that he was planning to delete the app and that is when I finally made my move - I gave him my phone number and we continued talking from there. He called me one night before he headed back home for Thanksgiving and finally asked me out, but the clock was ticking before he had to catch a plane. There was something in my gut that told me not to wait until after his trip, so I went to my supervisor and said that I had a family emergency and needed to get back to New Orleans a little earlier than expected. In my defense, I was missing a meeting that arguably should have been cancelled since it was the day before Thanksgiving break, but I digress. This was still the best decision that I had made, because our first date was one of the best nights of my life.

I rushed away from Baton Rouge after picking out the “perfect” outfit with my friend Natacha (who is doubling as one of my bridesmaids!). As I approached New Orleans, I was keeping Joe updated on my ETA, which is when he asked me what color I was wearing. I finally parked right down the street from his house on Washington Ave, and he came and met me to walk to me to his place. He was wearing a shirt that matched my outfit perfectly and gave me the biggest hug. We immediately felt comfortable around one another and it felt like we were being reunited, not introduced. We walked to his apartment, where I met his brother, Peter, then made our way to Basin Seafood & Spirits. I had never been there, so I was really excited to try a new restaurant. The food was amazing, the drinks were delicious, and the company was superb. We talked for hours – from our favorite movies, to stories about our travels, and even politics. I remember Joe asking me who I voted for in the 2016 election, which was really gutsy since it had just happened a couple weeks prior. Thankfully we were on the same page and things didn’t get tremendously awkward. We finished dinner at Basin and moved to The Bulldog for drinks and to keep the night going. We enjoyed cold beer and played tic tac toe on bar napkins for hours. At one point, while Joe was in the bathroom, I snagged one of the napkins to keep to remember the night, but Joe caught me. He took a napkin out of the his pocket and said “it’s the little things.” This led to a stolen kiss, our first kiss. It’s been the little things since the beginning. Matching his outfit to mine for our first date, holding my shoes I as I walked barefoot back to his apartment that night (I really didn’t pick the best shoes, and I haven’t worn those shoes since), sharing his Russian space station accent (for any Armageddon fans out there), texting me to make sure that I made it home okay, and calling me every day during his trip back home.

I told Joe that night that I knew I could fall for him, and he said to fall – he would catch me.