This is the very first picture that Mattie and Caleb are in together. They met during a mission trip in Ensenada, Mexico. Caleb was spending the summer serving as an intern, while Mattie and a team from her church had traveled there to help build a house for a family in need. Although their parents had been friends for years, this was the first time Mattie and Caleb officially met in person. You can’t tell just by looking at this picture, but Mattie was already pretty smitten with the boy she met in Mexico!

After their week together in Mexico, both Caleb and Mattie realized they liked each other—more than either of them wanted to admit at the time. For a couple of months, they didn’t talk. Then one day, Caleb worked up the courage to ask Mattie’s dad, Tim, for her Snapchat. Mattie immediately followed him back, and from there, the conversation picked up right where they had left off in Mexico. On October 1st, Caleb made the drive to see Mattie play volleyball at Halifax High School. That night, they took their first “official” picture together—a picture that remains one of their favorites to this day.

As life went on, things changed—Mattie and Caleb gradually drifted apart and lost touch for several years. In January of 2021, Caleb joined the Air Force and in July of the same year, he graduated from the fire academy and was stationed in California.

A couple of years passed, during which Mattie graduated from high school and began her journey through nursing school. Though they were living separate lives, God was still writing their story — even when they couldn’t see it.

On April 21st, 2024, Caleb was visiting Rich Acres Christian Church, where Mattie’s dad preaches and where Caleb’s sister, Samantha, serves as the children’s minister. This was the first time Mattie and Caleb had seen each other in over five years. The moment Mattie saw Caleb, she immediately knew—this was the man she would one day marry. "He has made everything beautiful in its time." — Ecclesiastes 3:11. A few weeks before they reconnected, Mattie had taken a picture of a sunset. She loves the beauty of sunsets and never misses a chance to capture them. Looking back, that sunset now reminds her of something greater: the beauty of God’s perfect timing. God knew that neither Mattie nor Caleb was ready for each other when they first began dating. In the years apart, both had time to grow, to learn hard lessons, and to lean fully on God through life’s challenges. When the time was right, He brought them back together—at exactly the right moment. That is the beauty of God's timing.

Because Caleb is in the military, he and Mattie weren’t able to be together in person for quite some time. That changed this past spring when Caleb surprised Mattie by coming home during her spring break from school. It was during that visit that both of them realized—they never wanted to live life without each other. From that moment on, they began planning their future together. They started dreaming about their wedding and knew it wouldn’t be long before they were engaged.

This is the day Caleb proposed to Mattie — at one of her very favorite places: the Blue Ridge Airport in Spencer, Virginia. Mattie loves going to the airport to look out at the distant Blue Ridge Mountains. During nursing school, it had become her quiet place — a peaceful spot to study and reflect, and a place where she could simply enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Knowing how much this place meant to her, Caleb chose it as the perfect place to ask her to marry him. And of course — she said yes!

This was the day Mattie and Caleb took their engagement pictures — a beautiful day spent in the mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

On this day, Mattie and Caleb visited Mattie’s family land — the beautiful valley in Woolwine, Virginia, where they will soon say “I do.” The land holds so many cherished memories already, and now it will become the place where a new chapter of their story begins. Mattie and Caleb can’t wait to celebrate their wedding here and to make countless more memories together on this special piece of land.

As you all know, all good things must come to an end — at least for a little while. Caleb’s time off from work came to a close, and on Friday, the 6th, he flew back to California. This is the last picture Mattie and Caleb took together — after a beautiful hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Now, they will be apart until the end of September, just days before their “Big Day." But with God at the center of their relationship, they know they can weather this season of waiting — and grow even stronger through it. They are beyond excited for the adventure ahead and can’t wait to celebrate with each and every one of you!