Ethan and Taylor infamously met on the night of January, 25th, 2020, at Decades Bar in downtown D.C.

Not quite their usual scene, it was nothing if not serendipitous that they both ended up in the same place at the same time (Thank you to Lisa!) Taylor was with her friends and Ethan was celebrating surviving another week at his officer training school (TBS) in Quantico. Ethan first caught Taylor’s eye when she noticed his hobbling walk and the medical boot he was wearing on his foot. She wondered just how crazy somebody had to be to climb up the stairs of a six-story bar…… with a broken foot? And then she realized………that is EXACTLY something she would do. In fact, Taylor may or may not have been in that exact same scenario 8 months prior, with a torn ACL in lieu of a broken foot.

After a clever lead in with something along the lines of “nice boot,” and a discussion about pain being a state of mind, they were both quick to realize that they were in fact kindred spirits. They spent the rest of the night by each other’s side, finding that time passed quickly when they were together.

While Ethan and Taylor were in their own little world, a mysterious woman came up to Taylor and whispered to her that she knew the two of them would be together forever, stating simply that “she just tends to knows these things.” It was most likely the rantings of somebody who had one too many to drink, but the memory of those words has stuck with Taylor until this day. Taylor waited to tell Ethan the woman’s prophecy until many months later because even though Taylor may be horrible at coming up with pick-up lines, she is at least smart enough to know you should never say those words out loud to a guy on the first night…. even if she felt that they were true.

The rest of the story of that night consists of Krispy Kreme donuts, a dead phone battery, a mischievous father, alpacas, and a terrifying gravel road that sits in complete darkness (not necessarily in that order). Don’t worry, you will be able to read the entire account when you purchase Ethan & Taylor’s future memoir. Until then, please feel free to let your imagination run wild.

Ethan and Taylor continued seeing each other after that first night, learning that nothing was ever boring when they were together. There was even a rumor that Ethan accused Taylor of being a {Russian spy} [REDACTED] on one their first dates. However, that information has never been proven.

They survived the COVID pandemic and Ethan’s captivity behind the walls of Marine Corps Base Quantico, where they persevered through Zoom dates and good, old-fashioned letters, falling in love despite the odds. As soon as Ethan was once again allowed to roam free, they spent their pandemic time together exploring the outdoors, cooking, and playing lots of games. This is where Ethan learned the hyper-competitive nature of the Gray family game nights. Taylor’s cousins took it upon themselves to teach Ethan the family game of Euchre, which is not just a card game, but a way to break down your character and test if you can rise to the occasion. Despite her cousins’ best efforts, Ethan passed with flying colors, cementing his spot in the family forever.

Soon after that, Ethan moved down to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and it didn’t take Taylor long to follow. They lived the true beach life in their little apartment near Topsail Island, feeling like every day was a vacation. Taylor showed Ethan how great "beach bumming it" could be, and by the end of their time in North Carolina, the island life had become a part of them. Ethan even tagged along on Taylor’s many shark tooth hunting adventures, mostly pocketing tooth-shaped rocks instead of actual teeth…..but Taylor would never tell him that. Their shark tooth/rock collection is proudly displayed in their home today!

Before they knew it, Ethan and Taylor found themselves moving back to Virginia, settling into their new neighborhood of Dumfries, VA. Ethan came back to Quantico to become an instructor at the very school he was a student at when he first met Taylor. With the move came another big life event, a furry addition to the family. Ethan and Taylor met their dog, Eddie, at an adoption event and fell immediately in love. They brought him home that same day and he instantly became a beloved member of their family. Named after the infamous Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Eddie has continuously lived up to his namesake by stealing all of his parent’s belongings and taking over as captain of their household (and the neighborhood).

The story of Taylor and Ethan came to it's most important moment when Ethan proposed to Taylor in the mountains of the Laurel Highlands on October 26th, 2024. It was undeniably the best day of their lives.

T & E are counting down the days until they can be married in front of their favorite people, creating a new best day to add to their love story.

**And to the wise, drunk woman from Decades, whoever you may be, you were 100% right. We will raise a glass to you! **

-T & E

T&E

Wedding Day

3:30 PM

Ceremony

5:00 PM–10:00 PM

Reception