From Brett's Point of View

After graduating from Arizona Christian University and driving across the country to begin chiropractic school at Life University, I had no intention of getting into a relationship until I completed school. As with many other moments in my life, I am so grateful that the Lord had something radically different in store for me. Little did I know that in my first year of graduate school I would fall deeply in love with what would become my future wife!

Once I got settled in Marietta and classes began, I started attending different churches in the area that had been recommended to me. The third church I attended since moving to the area was North Metro. After an incredible service, I knew this would be an awesome place for me to learn and grow during my time at Life University. The week following service at North Metro, I was stopped on campus by a beautiful, dark haired girl with the most incredible eyes. She asked if I attended North Metro (we attend here to this day and have loved every minute of it) and we had a great conversation. Being the savant that I am, I managed to land her number at the end of the conversation. Though I had scored a huge number, I did not text Madison much other than coordinating seats at church with her and a few of our classmates from school (bummer, right?). However, we started getting to know each other more through nights out with our group of friends from class. I could not help but be attracted to her smile, sense of humor, and incredible dance moves that I became acquainted with during those outings. I began to see there was a genuine interest between us when she invited me to a bonfire at her house. It was an awesome night despite the fact that we hardly spoke (I was psyched to be there).

As the first quarter came to a close, we kept in touch over break. Second quarter was characterized by more time studying together, which led to my introduction into acrobatic yoga, and eventually baking all sorts of treats together (gluten, egg, and any other allergen you can think of free of course). As you can imagine, all this time spent with just eachother led to many conversations regarding family, faith, interests, and future goals. After these conversations, I knew I was interested in pursuing a relationship with Madison, but was slow in initiating the conversation. One thing I had not yet learned about Maddie is that she is extremely impatient (in a good way) and she was the first to bring up what our relationship truly was. This occurred during an intense study session the night before a musculoskeletal gross anatomy exam, and I was completely caught off guard. I did my best to dance around the question because I had wanted to ask her in a different situation. So, I promptly asked her for coffee following that week. We went to Cool Beans in the Marietta square where I asked to pursue a relationship with her on November 21st, 2022 (AKA be my girlfriend). She claims this was our first official date, but I would argue that our many baking, acrobatics, and hiking days served as “first dates” (it worked out regardless:)).

The months following the beginning of our relationship were filled with a rush of fun activities. We went right into friendsgiving, concerts, Christmas tree decorating and baking all sorts of treats along the way. After making one of our favorite recipes to date, a Wellness Way coffee cake she made for her women’s bible study, we shared our first kiss (which Maddie thought would never come, so impatient!). Shortly after Christmas she joined me on a trip to meet my closest friends in Arizona for a New Years trip. They all loved her, and though I had not told her yet, I knew I did too! After we left Arizona we went straight to Jersey for a whirlwind trip to meet her family and explore her old stomping grounds in NYC. She was an incredible tour guide and we shared so many special memories during that break. As we returned to class during third quarter, love certainly was in the air with Valentine's day approaching and I confessed my love for the sweetest, most hard working, and beautiful woman I know. To celebrate Valentine's day, we shared a fun night out devouring delicious tacos and eating Jeni’s ice cream. What a woman! Since then, our traveling, adventures, learning, and growth have not stopped and I couldn’t imagine doing it alongside anyone else!

As the months turned, our time together grew sweeter and sweeter. We began talking about our desires for our future with regard to work, family, and faith. Though I am usually a very methodical, slow moving individual, I knew quickly that Maddie was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. After ring shopping and receiving permission from her dad, I proposed at Kennesaw Mountain on July 30th, 2023. We celebrated after at Fellows Cafe surrounded by a wonderful group of friends who have played a major role in our relationship while in Georgia. As we draw closer to wedding day, I can not help but overflow with gratitude for the friends, family, and many other moments not included in this short story that have played such a huge role in Madison and I’s relationship. We are so excited to celebrate with you all in March!

Maddie's Point of View

Brett will probably say that our first date was a hike up Kennesaw Mountain one afternoon in the fall of 2023. I, however, had no idea that we were on a date…in fact, it took months for me to finally realize that Brett was interested in me beyond just being friends. We would spend a majority of our time together, a lot of which went into studying for school, but included baking, acro-yoga and board games in between. I would tell myself, even if Brett isn’t interested in me, he stands as a good reminder that men like him do still exist—God-fearing, respectful, gentle, kind, handsome, strong. I remember one night staying up late with him in my kitchen eating scones and drinking hot tea, and it was probably one of the first time that we had a very genuine conversation, just the two of us without anything else going on in the background. I was sitting there thinking to myself, “Why in the world would this guy stay up so late with me drinking tea with honey and pumpkin scones?” I think that’s when I first started to catch on. After a few more moments like this and some weeks passing, he finally took me out on a proper date at one of our favorite coffee shops, Cool Beans. From there, we officially started dating (even though our friends already thought we were).

We got to know each other even more over the months that followed, and Brett took me on a big trip to Arizona over our winter break that was amazing in so many ways. I got to see him with his closest friends out there, and he took me to all his favorite spots. I was seeing him be entirely himself for the first time, and I loved every second of it. I met some very important people in his life that welcomed me into their family seamlessly. At the end of this trip, I brought him home with me to meet my family. With no surprise, they all loved him. It was so special to me having Brett meet my parents, grandparents, cousins, and close friends. It was hard for me to explain to them over the phone how great he truly is, but they were able to see for themselves.

I think a big turning point in our relationship was just before Valentine’s Day, when Brett told me he loved me. Brett was always more reserved and private with his personal life, but after this, we grew closer than I would have ever imagined. It didn’t take much longer for me to realize that this is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. We had many conversations about our future together and what that would look like. As all this was happening, I couldn’t help but to give thanks to God for providing me with one of the biggest blessings in my life—a husband that I had prayed over for years leading up to our marriage, and one that I will continue to pray over forever.

I grew up reciting 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

“Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self

seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no

record of wrongs.

Love does not rejoice in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.”

Brett reminds me of this verse everyday in the greatest way possible, by loving me this way every single day. So when he asked me on July 30th, 2023 to marry him, it was the easiest “yes” I’ve ever answered with!

M&B

Wedding Day

4:30 PM

Ceremony

5:00 PM

Cocktail Hour

6:00 PM

Reception

10:30 PM

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