Our story began nine years ago in our high school band room, brought together by a shared love for music. Before duty called and Jeffrey left for U.S. Marine Corps boot camp, he gave Alex a promise ring—a quiet vow that distance wouldn't change what we had. That launched a long-distance relationship that, for years, relied on maximum resilience, our deep faith in God, and testing the absolute limits of FaceTime's data plan.

Distance couldn't stop us from growing together. We survived the miles by becoming absolute pros at long distance. During college, Jeffrey made endless trips from California to Pensacola just so we could spend a few days together. Our specialty became synchronized FaceTime movie dates, usually involving a Star Wars marathon where we'd try—and frequently fail—to hit "play" at the exact same second. Through the chaos of military life, college, and the intense time of law school, we remained each other's biggest cheerleaders. Jeffrey definitely deserves an honorary law degree for serving as a patient, one-man jury during mock trials.

Whenever we did get to see each other in person, we made every single moment count. We truly grew closer while exploring Miami and the Florida Keys. We fell into a perfect rhythm of city adventures, balancing culture and sports by dressing up for Broadway plays one night and cheering at Miami Dolphins games the next. You could usually find us wandering through local bookstores while Alex pointed out an obsessive amount of books, hanging out with our fur baby, Charlie, or escaping on coastal adventures. We made unforgettable memories on a wine-tasting sailboat trip, learning to roll cigars in the Keys, and simply exploring. It was during one of these tropical escapes—on the remote shores of the Dry Tortugas islands—that Jeffrey fulfilled the promise he made before he left for Paris Island and asked Alex to marry him.

Now, after nearly a decade of navigating different time zones and mastering the art of the countdown, we are finally closing the gap. We are beyond excited to step into our next chapter as husband and wife, exchanging our vows before God in the beautiful Cades Cove National Park.