We met in law school, where Katelyn was the first to cross the proverbial "dance floor" that separated the groups of guys and gals in our first-year class. Katelyn's southern charm, love of puns, and outgoing nature further grabbed Chris's attention, so when Katelyn's birthday rolled around a few months after school started, he knew her bonfire birthday party would be a great time to make his move. Chris's "Movember" mustache became a memorable hallmark of the start of our relationship, with Chris quickly earning the secret nickname of "Mustache Chris" among Katelyn's friends. We danced the "on again/off again" waltz for about a year, until we finally realized that we couldn't stay away from each other and made it official.

After graduation, Chris moved back to Pittsburgh and Katelyn moved to Raleigh to start careers, but as they say, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," and Katelyn took a leap of faith in November 2016 and moved to the chilly city of Pittsburgh. Chris will always appreciate the love and commitment it took for Katelyn to willingly uproot herself and her dog, Hazel, move to a new city, and re-take the bar exam to be together.  



Our engagement story:

Fripp Island is a special place for us. Having vacationed there for the past two summers with Katelyn's family, it provided the perfect backdrop for the question that would kick off the rest of our life together. Chris's travel plans were made at the last minute, and the ring arrived just a week before, but the engagement was a long time in the making. Chris had asked for permission from Katelyn's dad at the same beach the year before. The plan was to propose at sunset: 8:06 p.m. Her sisters proved to be expert accomplices in setting the stage and making sure everyone was in on the plan. When the time came, the group staged a mock photo shoot against an immaculate sky, which gave Chris just enough time to pull out the ring and drop to his knee. When Katelyn turned around, Chris laid out a beautiful proposal (or so we're told, as neither one of us really knows exactly what he said in the moment) and asked the four important words: "Will you marry me?" After a happy nod, the newly-engaged couple joined the rest of the family for ice cream and champagne.