If you’re reading this, then you know we met at the University of Tennessee. But, given that this is “our story,” it feels like the right place to start, anyway! What you might not know is that we met our first week of freshman year. And, nothing was ever really the same after that.

Here’s Rachel’s version:

“I heard about this boy—now the man who has my heart—who went on a solo backpacking trip in Iceland. I learned his name was Luke, and that not only did he backpack in Iceland by himself, but he also got around the island by hitchhiking. I thought that was the coolest thing (still do). We met in person, and haven’t stopped talking since. Luke wore linen button downs, drove a ridiculously useless but incredibly fun car*, was the friend I always needed, and the man I always wanted. Before we had even started dating, I had a book, How to Love, on my bedside table that he asked if he could borrow to read. He later confessed he asked to borrow it so that he could get to know me better through the books I was reading. That was when I first suspected he might be the one. It wasn’t long after that somewhere in my heart I knew he was was going to be my forever person. So, in October 2024, when we went to Barcelona and he proposed, it was the easiest ‘yes.’

*If you’re wondering, he still drives the Miata hehehe

Here’s Luke’s version:

Rachel and I started our relationship as friends. As freshmen at UT in the Fall of 2018, we lived in the same dorm, on opposite wings of the same floor. Like the academically-inclined-type-A people that we were, we spent a lot of time studying together in the common areas. Notwithstanding Rachel’s brilliance and excellent proofreading skills, I confess that I wondered whether our relationship could amount to more than just study-buddies…

One weekend after feeling extra cooped up on campus, we piled into my car and drove up to Cades Cove. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was essentially our first date. Later that year, after inviting her to my family’s Thanksgiving, we soon became a couple. I was ecstatic, and everything in my life was perfectly falling into place. Rachel has always brought out my most authentic self, while lovingly challenging me to be the best version of that self. We quickly forged unforgettable memories together; home-cooked birthday dinners, late night jazz clubs, aimless strolls through foreign cities, not to mention a pandemic. Now that we are officially tying the knot, we would be honored to have you celebrate with us!