The Venue at Waddell Place

Wedding Day

Our Wedding

Our story began in the Spring of 2022 when a mutual friend introduced us. We began texting, as we did not meet in-person until a couple of months later. Landon was in the Army and was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Shelby was finishing up her last semester of nursing school at the University of Tennessee at Martin. We continued talking until the Summer of 2022, which is when we went on our first date. Landon was home on block leave for two weeks, and during this time we went on three dates. Our first date was at the city park in Milan where we ate at food trucks and started to get to know each other.

After that summer, Landon had to return back to Texas. We continued talking until he came home at Christmas, which is when the story really began. We spent many days together on this two week break, and at the beginning of the New Year, we finally decided to take a leap and start dating. We were both hesitant about long-distance at first, but we were both committed to trying.

This commitment quickly led to Shelby taking monthly trips to visit Landon in El Paso. Our weekend dates consisted of fun activities such as hiking, movies, arcades, and of course, date nights to Wing Daddies.

Our monthly trips came to a quick halt though when Landon received orders to deploy. In August of 2023, Landon deployed to Eastern Europe and was stationed there for 9 months. Although this was the longest time we spent apart, our bond only grew stronger. We leaned on late-night and early-morning calls, care packages, and lots of prayers to stay connected.

Landon returned back to El Paso at the end of March, 2024, and we picked up right where we left off with an even stronger connection. The following summer on block leave, we spent almost everyday together making up for all the time we were apart.

In November, Landon came home for a short weekend. This short weekend was supposed to be a surprise for his sister, but it ended up being the biggest surprise of Shelby's life. On November 9th, 2024, we got engaged!!

Since then, our story and love for each other has only continued to grow. Long distance has played such a huge role in our relationship, but ultimately it has created a strong, loving bond that will last forever.

This past July, Landon left active duty and returned home. Now, we’re counting down the days to forever. We’re so excited to start this new chapter as husband and wife and are beyond grateful for the journey that brought us here! Love,The Future Graves

Shelby & Landon

Shelby & Landon

Wedding Party