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Our Story |
"Did you survive the killing curse? Because you're drop dead gorgeous."
So began Rachel and Kaitlyn's relationship. They met on a dating app, where Kaitlyn asked potential suitors for their best Harry Potter pickup line and Rachel responded with the winner. Rachel had just come back to Williamsburg, Virginia for a contract as the More Pet Shenanigans stage manager at Busch Gardens, and Kaitlyn was working at William & Mary. After chatting for a few days, they decided to meet up for drinks at Amber Ox. Despite Kaitlyn and Rachel being extremely awkward humans, they both enjoyed themselves and made plans to see each other again.
After their first date, Kaitlyn started making any excuse to visit Rachel at work. Rachel told her friends about the librarian and asked to take her backstage to meet the cats. Kaitlyn fell in love not just with the show cats, but also with a funny, passionate, and beautiful woman.
Kaitlyn and Rachel's first summer together was full of impromptu trips, lunchtime visits to Busch Gardens, and pizza and movies at Kaitlyn's apartment. They soon realized that their love was special, and they decided to continue their relationship when Rachel moved back home to Knoxville.
Their sixteen months of long distance dating was difficult but absolutely worth it. Kaitlyn and Rachel got very familiar with I-64 and I-81 driving between Williamsburg and Knoxville. By the beginning of 2019, they knew that they wanted to start a life together. Kaitlyn started looking for jobs in cities where Rachel could find a job too, and finally, in January 2020, Rachel joined Kaitlyn in Dallas, TX.
Once all of the boxes were checked off, Rachel and Kaitlyn jumped on the opportunity to get engaged. On February 22, 2020, they said yes in Orlando, Florida! Kaitlyn proposed in front of a Tangled mural at the Riviera Resort at Disney World, and Rachel proposed at a Tangled photo opportunity holding a lantern. They celebrated their engagement at the Hoop De Doo Musical Revue at Disney World.
Life changed quickly after their engagement. On March 16, 2020, Kaitlyn and Rachel began quarantining from the COVID-19 outbreak. Since they thought things would clear up pretty quickly, they started planning their dream wedding at Disney World. However, after months of the pandemic, they realized that their dream wedding would not be a safe option. After much deliberation, Rachel and Kaitlyn decided to have a small wedding with their families at Kaitlyn's parents' house instead to ensure that all their family and friends would be safe.
2020 was not the year they expected when they said "yes," but Rachel and Kaitlyn have enjoyed spending time together after being long distance. They are thankful to be together in Dallas, still employed, and getting married!