Melanie grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and lived in Huntington Beach, California. Mark grew up in Horseheads, New York and lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. Yet somehow they met on the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. However the stars aligned, they were pretty much inseparable right off the bat. When Melanie first spotted Mark in their beach house, he was doing dishes. That caught her eye and she was smitten by his kindness from then on.

After the vacation was over, distance didn’t keep them apart. After several 1,400 mile road trips and a few flights, they made an effort to be together as much as possible. If they weren’t physically together, they were talking or face messaging for hours, and texting when they weren’t able to talk. Both have a love for books, so reading together was a common pastime. After six months of dating it was pretty clear these two were ready to be with only each other.

They took a trip to Paris, France, and after a charming day at the Louvre and a romantic walk along the Seine river with the Parisian fall foliage at its best, Mark got down on one knee and proposed to Melanie at the Pont Alexander III bridge with the Eiffel Tower as their backdrop. Her answer was an unquestionable yes.

The engagement merriment continued in France with a visit to the solemn beaches of Normandy, a tour of the majestic Mont Saint Michel, and a whimsical trip to Disneyland Paris. Several more sights, sounds, and tastes of that trip confirmed to each of them how much they had in common, and how much they treasured sharing those common experiences with each other.

The more time they spend together, and the more they learn about each other, the more they love each other. Even planning a wedding together has been so much fun. They can’t wait until they are fully united, spending the rest of their lives together, hand in hand, into eternity.

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