John and Laura first met attending a small outdoor dinner party during the summer of 2020. Laura had just graduated from the International Master of Business Administration program at the University of South Carolina and was planning on moving to Atlanta that fall to start her new job. John was completing an internship the summer between the first and second year of the same program. Although Laura was dating someone else at the time, John quickly became smitten with Laura and her ability to whip up one of the best key lime pies he had ever eaten (John’s favorite dessert). The “Quarantine Supper Club” - what the small, weekly friend dinner came to be known as – was the weekly highlight of John’s summer as he got to know Laura better as the loyal, charming, and overall wonderful person that she is.

A year and a half passed after that memorable summer, but John kept Laura in the back of his mind. When he found out that she was single, he asked their mutual friends – the same couple who hosted the Quarantine Supper Club – to put in a good word for him. The couple did so, and Laura’s interest was piqued. Soon, a not-so-subtle scheme was hatched by the couple to set Laura and John up over USC’s Homecoming Weekend.

Laura and John spent a wonderful weekend with their friends and getting to know one another better, which led John to ask Laura on their first date. It was the Monday after Homecoming, and Laura had not yet traveled back to Atlanta; instead, she opted to work from home in Columbia and go to lunch with John – one of her first dates since deciding she was ready to “dip her toe back into the water.” John was 15 minutes late due to a work call, but Laura, also in the middle of a workday, didn’t hold it against him. Soon, plans were hatched to see each other again in another not-so-subtle plot by the same couple that had set up the Homecoming Weekend.

This time it was a mountain weekend in Brevard, NC. During the trip, Laura accompanied John fly fishing one morning, and John knew he was hooked as he observed Laura’s love of the outdoors and the natural world (she also caught more fish than him that morning, which only made John more enamored).

With Laura enjoying working in Atlanta and John beginning his post-business school career in Columbia, they began having conversations on how realistic a long-distance relationship was at that juncture in their lives. Although distance and timing were not ideal, neither could deny the sparks that flew between them when they were together, and they decided to give it a try and see where the relationship would go.

Text messages turned into phone calls, phone calls turned into Facetiming one another late at night, and Facetiming eventually turned into plans to see each other when Laura was home for the holidays. That winter, John took the first of many trips to Atlanta to spend the weekend with Laura. Shortly thereafter, they both began burning the pavement between the two cities – often spending 2-3 weekends a month in either Atlanta, Columbia or meeting each other for a weekend getaway. They came to realize that while their distance and timing concerns may have presented a challenge, they were more than manageable as they looked forward to seeing one another every time the weekend came around.

Fast forward to the close of 2022 and the couple’s love for one another did nothing but grow. They often told one another how fulfilled and happy they felt, and they both began excitedly talking about the idea of marriage. John proposed to Laura on April 2, 2023 – one of the happiest days of their lives. It was a beautiful afternoon on the edge of the Broad River north of Columbia. One of John’s close friends and Laura’s sister were present as John dropped down onto his knee and posed the question. The look on Laura’s face that afternoon was first one of complete shock, but then joy as she quickly said yes. The day became even more memorable as the two returned to Laura’s grandparents’ house a short drive away and, unbeknownst to Laura, were welcomed by applause and best wishes from their families and a few of their closest friends. John and Laura had found each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

A few months later, Laura decided to go remote with her Atlanta job, and moved back to Columbia to be closer to her new fiancé and her family. The two have been wedding planning and enjoying not having to wait until the weekend to spend time with one another. Their love for each other continues to grow as they settle into their new life together and eagerly await April 27th. They are both incredibly excited for this new chapter in their lives and are thankful for the showering of love and support that they continue to receive from their friends and family.

Thank you to all who have read this for being a part of their story.