One day, Maura visited Calvary Fellowship in search of a new church home. When she first walked into Calvary—and almost immediately, one thing caught her attention: a young man in the corner with a smile so warm it stopped her in her tracks. She quickly asked God, “Jesus, is that my husband?”

She kept coming back, drawn by the community, the Bible studies, and yes, that ever-present smile. Before she even knew his name, she affectionately referred to him as “Mr. Smiles,” a nickname that soon caught on with her friends and family.

Their friendship began to grow; rooted in late-night conversations in the church parking lot, shared laughter, and a natural connection that deepened over time. Though neither of them made a move at first…… for five long months, the affection between them quietly bloomed. One evening, while chatting outside after Bible study, he made a paper airplane and they flew it back and forth. A simple, sweet moment Maura cherished and then tucked the paper airplane away in her Bible.

For a LONG while, her friends heard the same questions on repeat: “When is he going to ask me out?” and “I’m going to marry this guy.”

Eventually, Maura decided to take a leap of faith. She wrote George Strait’s lyrics—“Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend?”—on that same paper airplane, added checkboxes for “Yes” or “No,” and tucked it under Josh’s windshield wiper along with a wildflower before heading into church.

Later that day (what felt like forever), her phone finally buzzed with a photo of the airplane—“Yes” checked.

Unbeknownst to her, Josh had planned to ask her out that very same day. But before he had the chance, she frantically rushed out of church, nervous and hopeful about the note she had left. It turns out their timing was perfect in its imperfection; two hearts ready to meet in the middle.

This marked the beginning of a journey—from a beautiful friendship to the love story we celebrate today."