It’s funny how you can be in the same place as someone for months and never actually meet. For nearly a year, Cole and I were both part of the same church community; Cole was plugged into the college ministry while I spent Sundays wrangling first graders. Week after week, we walked the same halls without ever crossing paths… until one Sunday in August changed everything.

That morning, I was on stage, and Cole noticed me for the very first time. He’ll tell you that from that moment on, he just knew he had to meet me. A week later, I joined the college ministry, and our paths finally collided. From the start, our conversations flowed so naturally, laughter came easily, and it didn’t take long for us to realize how special this connection really was.

On October 11, we officially started dating. Since then, we’ve built our relationship on faith, laughter, and all the little things that make life sweet: Sunday mornings side by side, swing dancing, and countless coffee runs where the conversation was always better than the coffee. Somewhere in the middle of all that, we realized we’d found something really rare and really right.

Fast forward to May, when we were at the beach. I was completely focused on finding the perfect shell, without realizing Cole had something much more beautiful in his pocket. While I searched the sand, he knelt down ahead of me and asked me to marry him. It was the best surprise and the easiest yes I’ll ever give.

Now, we can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter with our family and friends as we finally say “I do” and step into forever together.