Talexis and I met through a mutual friend at a Fourth of July party in 2020. I had always heard about her through our friend group but never had the chance to meet her, even though we attended the same college.

Ironically, just a few years earlier, we both attended a mutual friend's wedding, and there's even a photo of us sitting at opposite tables. We lived in the same apartment complex, Laurel Hills, during college, but never crossed paths.

During the party, we had a great conversation, but I had to leave early to meet my sisters who were visiting for the summer. I mentioned to a friend that I would like to come back for more mac and cheese, so he reached out to her. This led to him giving me her phone number.

I came back the following evening for more food, and we had another brief conversation. Before leaving I told her she had a beautiful smile and from there, we started texting and getting to know each other.

A few weeks later on my birthday I noticed she didn't text me, so I jokingly texted her, “Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday,” just to mess with her. She apologized, and we made arrangements to meet up and celebrate that weekend.

I wanted to take her to get dinner, but she suggested something more casual, so we decided on a local ice cream shop downtown. The conversation flowed so well that we ended up extending our date and went thrifting together. We spent an additional two hours just talking outside of my hotel and we eventually decided to get pizza since it was around dinner time. We ended the night with her dropping me off at my hotel, and she headed home to prepare for work the next day.

The next morning, I realized I left my car keys in her car, so I took an uber to her job to pick them up. She joked that I was already sprung, and it became a funny memory that led to us spending even more time together.

About a month later, I decided to formally ask her to be my girlfriend. She said yes, and that’s how our relationship began.

Since then, we've traveled to seven countries together, earned our master's degrees, bought a home, and started a little family with our dog, Stormy.

In December of 2023, after months of planning, I proposed at Botanical Gardens during their light show, and here we are now!

We’re so thankful for all of you joining us for this special celebration of our love. Thank you for being part of our journey!