Rachel and I didn’t meet until the summer leading into our senior year at Belmont despite having many of the same friends and going to the same parties.

A few weeks before classes started, one of my roommates saw a free futon on Facebook marketplace and as anyone would expect a house of four college guys to do, we claimed it immediately with no thought of whether or not it would fit. To everyone’s surprise, it didn’t.

Fortunately, one of my roommates had some friends moving into a new apartment who needed furniture. A few hours later, a black BMW pulled down our alley. As we laughed at the idea of the futon fitting in the car, a beautiful black haired girl hopped out of the front seat, fresh off a semester in London and excited to see her friend for the first time.

Over the next couple of weeks, Rachel and I started hanging out with our friend group and getting to know each other. It didn’t take either of us long to form a connection and I knew almost immediately she was different than anyone I had met.

Fast forward to Labor Day weekend, a group of friends went out in downtown Nashville. When we got to the bar, I asked Rachel if I could buy her a drink. Trying to play off her shock, she panicked and asked for the first drink that came to mind. Important side note: she had been listening to the Eagles earlier that day… I swallowed my pride, went to the bar at Crazy Town and ordered a tequila sunrise. We spent most of the weekend together and it became clear to us there was something special there.

On the first day back to class, I asked Rachel on a proper date to Barcelona Wine Bar and thank God she said yes. In the almost five years since then, Rachel and I have moved from Nashville to Dallas, survived a pandemic and enjoyed countless dates and trips (that I was significantly less nervous to ask her on).

We are beyond excited to be surrounded by our closest friends and family to celebrate our big day!

Disclaimer: some details left out to hide how incredibly not smooth I was during all of this.

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