Brian and I met the very first week of my first travel contract in Maine in January 2022. I really didn't know much about Maine before I signed that contract and I certainly didn't expect to meet my future husband there! I went into our first date with zero expectations thinking I'd only be in Maine for 3 months. However, the second I saw Brian I knew I was in trouble!!

We had the best first date I've ever been on at Top of the East overlooking the city of Portland and I never wanted it to end. I called my mom after the date and told my friends I just knew there was something different about Brian and my life may have just gotten a lot more complicated!!

I ended up staying in Maine for 10 months instead of 3 with Brian as the best tour guide showing me all the beauty Maine has to offer. We crammed in as much as we could in those 10 months, but eventually I decided I wanted to continue my travel journey and Brian was incredibly supportive.

We then had to tackle one very hard year of long distance (with countless flights and roadtrips back and forth to see each other) as I continued traveling. I then decided it was time to make my way back to Maine to be with Brian again in November 2023 and our relationship has grown even stronger than I ever thought possible.

He pulled off the ultimate proposal in Virginia in April 2024 with my family and friends and it is a day I will never forget! We both decided it made the most sense to get married in Maine because it is where we met and a place that is so special to both of us. Brian is the most amazing, caring, and selfless person I have ever met. I am SO lucky to call him mine and I can't wait to be his wife!

I picked Kelsie up for our first date on a freezing cold evening in Maine during January of 2022. Somehow, she landed herself in Portland at a time of year when most people are trying to leave the state, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. We both had little expectations going into the first date. She was a travel nurse, planning to complete 1 contract in Maine, which is about 13 weeks. Additionally, she was under strict instructions from back home in Virginia…do not find a guy from Maine, and at all costs, do not fall in love. Fast forward to today and the rest is history.

Kelsie ended up staying in Maine for 3 full contracts and during that time she traveled with her roommate Rachael, so the two of us lived separately. She went home for the holidays at the end of 2022, and then went on to complete contracts in Virginia and NC. Traveling was her dream before we met and I wanted more than anything for her to fulfill that dream before we thought more about the future. We were long distance from November 2022 - November 2023, when she moved back to Maine to live with me. During that year, we tried our best to see each other once a month. We alternated who traveled, and in total there were approximately 10 flights, 5 bus rides, 2 VA - ME road trips, 1 train ride and 670+ miles in between ... but who was counting? We’ve lived together for the last 8 months with our dog Baylee, and are now in the planning stages of making a permanent move back to Virginia later this year.

Before I met Kelsie, I had no intention of ever leaving Maine. For 29 years, Maine has been my home. The word home used to signify a place, but now it’s wherever Kelsie and I are together. While I am about to turn the page on an unbelievably amazing chapter of my life, I am eager and ready for the one that is just around the corner. Maine, in all its forms, has built who I am today. The people and places I’ve grown to know and love will stay with me wherever I go, and my visits back to the 207 will be frequent. One thing holds true above all else, and that is how deeply and genuinely excited I am to start a family and build a life with Kelsie during this next journey of ours. She is the part of me that I didn’t even know I was missing, and she’s given me such an incredibly beautiful, new perspective on life and what it means to be truly happy.

I would like to sincerely thank anybody who is reading this and thinking about coming to our wedding, whether you can make it or not, for being such an important part of our journey together. We wouldn't be here without the support from all of our family and friends, and we look forward to celebrating with all of you next September!