In the late spring of my senior year, I remember sending a message to the juniors on the track team asking for some intel on this Katherine Reid. As I entered into my final months of high school I decided to shoot my shot with the help of a few close friends in the grade below. The spark was lit in early May 2015.

What followed was the best, most rowdy summer of my life. We had several unforgettable trips to the river that summer with friends. It's only fitting that the place where it all began is where we will officially start out forever. Though I went off to college while Katherine finished her senior at Collegiate, I never forgot how she made me feel that summer.

Over the next decade, by some cruel fate, Katherine and I always seemed to just miss living in the same area code. Finally, I woke up one morning in Richmond to a late-night selfie from Katherine with a dear friend proclaiming that she was back in town for good. We wasted little time and went on an informal date at Lolitas to reconnect. After all those years apart, not a thing had changed between us - the spark was still there.

Fast forward two and a half years and we continue to live a life full of childish laughter, adventure and love, while continuously challenging each other to grow in new ways. Katherine is the compass I've always needed, pointing me in the direction of what is right and what is true.

Although I blacked out during the proposal, and Katherine and I have unsuccessfully tried to piece together what was actually said, I know I told her that I knew all those years ago that she was the love of my life and never forgot that. I can't wait to marry my high school sweetheart and grow our loving family in the years to come.

Though we both grew up walking the same hallways at Collegiate from Kindergarten on, it wasn’t until my junior year (and Nash’s senior year) that we really met—in Mr. Follansbee’s English class.

On a Saturday night in early May 2015, a friend called to say he was on his way to pick me up—he was driving to a party with Nash Wiley, and I was coming too. At seventeen, it felt like the most important moment of my life, the most exciting thing that had ever happened. It’s funny looking back now, because honestly, it kind of was. That night kicked off the iconic Summer ’15.

What started as a twist of teenage spontaneity turned into a story that would span the rest of our lives. Nash went off to UVA, and I had an amazing senior year at Collegiate. The next fall, I headed to W&L, and after that, we didn’t talk much beyond a few “happy birthday” texts. We didn’t see each other for seven years, but with so many mutual friends and our moms running into each other at Collegiate, we remained quietly connected in small, familiar ways.

One of the first things I did when I moved back to Richmond in 2022 was text Nash. I knew he had moved back the year before. We met for dinner at Lolita’s, both unsure whether it was a date or not. By the end of the night, we fell back into step, and everything fell into place.

Nash’s proposal was a beautiful reflection of how deeply he knows me and how much care he puts into making me feel loved. It happened in a quiet moment on the dock at our beloved river house. I can't wait for the day I get to marry the love of my life — and for all the years to come, making new memories in a place that’s already held so many.