We were set up by our two best friends: Nick and Christine Piepmeier (yes! they are married - see below). Nick has been Martin's friend since they were in middle school and lived next door to each other. And Christine has been my best friend since we met at Wake Forest. Nick and Christine realized that the two of us would make an excellent couple way back in 2016. In fact, when I was visiting Christine in Tallahassee that year, they decided to set us up by taking us to get tacos at Taco Libre (RIP). Then we watched the impeccable film Street Fighter and had a game night. Sadly, it wasn't that night that we realized we liked each other (although Martin was thrilled that I visibly enjoyed the movie) - Martin was actually set to move to Denver and I was focused on surviving law school. So we went our separate ways for a while, completely unaware of what we were missing.
Fortunately for us, Nick and Christine didn't let their belief that we'd be a fantastic couple die. So when Nick and Christine got married in March 2018, they came up with a scheme ~so brilliant~ that it was (literally) destined to work. They paired us together as bridesmaid and groomsman at their wedding and left plenty of space for a flirtation to spark. After their wedding, we quickly realized that we had something special. Unfortunately, I was still in law school and the first year of our relationship was entirely long distance. However, it was perfectly obvious to us that we'd do anything to make our relationship work. We spent hours chatting with each other on FaceTime and the number of times Martin drove from Tallahassee to Winston that year was absolutely insane. And it left no doubt in my mind that we were made for each other and that we were meant to be. After I graduated law school, we moved to the same city, which was a pure luxury compared to the long distance life. Then in November 2019, Martin proposed to me at sunset on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate and it truly was the easiest yes I've ever given. We've traversed long distance and a global pandemic and come out strong and ready to be married. (Note below that, fittingly, Nick is Martin's Best Man and Christine is my Maid of Honor).
We plan on traveling a lot in our future. And eating delicious food and attempting ridiculous hobbies and seeing amazing sights as we adventure through life together. We simply can't wait for the journey to begin at our wedding.