Let me tell you the story of how I met my husband…

The year was 2014 and I (the socially awkward freshman) needed to find some friends. I stumbled into an interest meeting for the Neo-Black Society and there, for the first time, I saw him. Similar to every early 2000's romcom that engulfed my millennial childhood I was immediately in love...or lust.

In a less dramatic fashion, about an hour after repeatedly sneaking glimpses of him from across the room, I signed up to be an elementary school mentor for a program he helped pioneer. While I do love the kids, I will 100% admit I had ulterior motives. There was only one problem, in my wanderlust haze I had somehow missed his name. So, when I got the email for my carpool assignment from Lawrence J. Watkins, I assumed I had missed the opportunity to make this mystery man fall madly in love with me. All hope was restored when he popped out of his red Honda civic on the first day. And yes...I ditched those kids. My punishment is marrying the one person that won't let me live it down.

While we both spent the remainder of our college years in other relationships, our friendship remained a constant until the summer of 2017. One summer day in Chicago, I posted a photo of my friend and I (love you Soph) at "The Bean" as we were working that summer in the city. No less than 15 minutes later LJW was in my dms and I knew I had him. A week later we were on our first date and the 4th of July fireworks weren't the only sparks in the air that night. I knew he was the one when he agreed to watch HGTV with me without a single complaint. Happy to report that years later he is still happy to critique other people’s homes with me for hours on end.

Despite the geographical distance that once separated us, our love endured the trials of a long-distance relationship for the first two years. From Chicago to Atlanta and now Charlotte, each city became a backdrop to our love story, strengthening our bond and adding color with every mile.

As we step into the next phase of our lives together, I find myself reflecting on our journey and the unwavering support and love we’ve received along the way. Though it’s already been 7 years, we are only just getting started!

K&L

The Watkins Wedding