OUR LOVE STORY

Let me take you back in time and set the stage on how long and arduous this courtship was. (That’s not a dig, it was totally worth the wait!) It’s April 2011 in Knoxville, TN, and I’m living up my last month of college before I move to Nashville to pursue my life-long dream of becoming an attorney. One of my roommates (and bridesmaids) was attending a fraternity date party and asked me to come along because #buddysystem. I reluctantly agreed after stalking his Facebook (pre-Instagram days). Despite having polar opposite upbringings, conversation flowed effortlessly, and we had an instant connection. I wouldn’t say it was “love at first sight”, but we were definitely intrigued by each other.

A month after our first meeting, I moved to Nashville to attend law school at Belmont while Justin finished up undergrad in Knoxville. Though we stayed in contact, Justin dragged his feet (admittedly) in pursuing anything further than a casual relationship. Due to my compelling power of persuasion and a job opportunity, Justin moved to Nashville in the fall of 2012. On January 31, 2013, nearly two years after our first meeting, Justin FINALLY asked me to be his girlfriend. I should have known then that he would take his sweet time to pop the question, but I’m so glad he did!

Over the six years of dating, we dined at nearly every Nashville food establishment, enjoyed countless concerts, traveled, championed each other’s careers, and supported one another through loss and heartache. It was nowhere near perfect, but we each grew independently as well as together as a couple.