[Written by Kendall]

“Leighton and I met on a crisp fall night on October 12th, 2018 in Charleston, SC on the rooftop of Saltwater Cowboys. After a few dates, we realized how much we had in common, including both of us having older sisters, attending the University of South Carolina at the same time, and having German Shorthaired Pointer dogs. It was on our third date that we realized that our dogs (Bentley and Cooper) actually have the same dad, are one month apart in age, and are both from Georgia. We were shocked!

Over the next year, we got to know each other’s families (mine in Charleston, his in Greenville). We visited one another’s friends all over the country and had many fun adventures. In February 2020, Leighton made a career move to Alpharetta, Georgia. We knew that the 5 hour drive between Charleston and Alpharetta wasn't ideal, but we felt that we had established a solid foundation in our relationship. Then...Covid happened. Leighton began working from home, and I was fortunate enough to get every third Friday-Monday off, so we were able to travel to see each other more frequently…which was such a blessing.

This past January, Leighton moved to Greenville, and our 5 hour drive turned into a 3(ish) hour drive. The distance was not fun, BUT it made us appreciate the time we spent together even more. Together, we were able to travel to shorten our time apart and made it to Denver, Louisville, Nashville, Charlotte, and (my absolute favorite) Lake Cherokee.

On September 5th, 2021, Leighton took me to what I thought was going to be a marketing photoshoot set up by a friend at The Kingstide restaurant on Daniel Island in Charleston. Little did I know, my family and his were waiting inside the restaurant to celebrate. Leighton led me to a perfect spot by the water, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him.”