In September 2019, Melanie accepted a job at Maris, West and Baker, having no idea what would be in store for her. On Melanie’s first day, she met Damien. When taking the job, little did they know that their future spouse would be right in front of them.

After getting to know each other a little bit, they both moved into the phase they call “the pining.” In March 2020, Covid reshaped the world, forcing everyone into limited social circles, which for Melanie and Damien meant spending time with each other. Both were pretty shy, so it wasn’t until they were riding in an RV together on the way to Cleveland, MS, for a commercial shoot that they really started to get to know each other. They talked for hours, discovering each other had the same sense of humor, interests, and general sensibilities.

For the next two years, a beautiful friendship bloomed, slowly becoming each other’s favorite person to be around. After denying her feelings for two years, Melanie finally worked up the courage in December of 2022 to finally reveal her feelings to Damien. It was after several close calls with almost moving for potential new job opportunities that she didn’t want to go anywhere without him.

On December 28, 2022, the two went to Elvie’s on their first date, after which Melanie told Damien how she felt in the car. If it’s not apparent, he did reciprocate feelings, and the rest is history. They are each other’s best friends, believing that friendship is the absolute best basis for an amazing relationship. Since getting together that December, Melanie and Damien have been on amazing trips, made many new memories, moved in together, and built an amazing life. Damien proposed on July 1, Melanie’s birthday, after a wonderful year and a half of being together and after almost five years of knowing each other.

They are so excited to celebrate April 5, 2025, with all their closest family and friends and hope you can make it!

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