Flashback to Wednesday, August 31, 2022… Eli and Kelly were both just a couple months into their new jobs in a new city. Eli was headed to a work dinner at Legion Brewing in Charlotte and Kelly was, actually, headed out on a date at Legion Brewing. To set the stage, there’s an upstairs space at Legion Brewing meant for hosting private events, there’s also a downstairs for the general public. Point being, Eli and Kelly were unlikely to cross paths…

Towards the end of the evening, Eli’s boss asked if Eli could use his card to pick up the tab and pay the tip for the event because he had to leave. As someone who is always willing to add value, Eli obliged, although he was a bit worried about getting the tip amount right, since this was an event for around 100+ coworkers. For Kelly and her date, the downstairs bar was busy, so her date thought to try the upstairs bar. His mistake...

While pre-occupied at the bar thinking about the correct tip, up walked Kelly and her date looking to order drinks. Kelly thought to herself: wow, look at this handsome young man… My date isn’t all that interesting, so what do I have to lose? “Are we at the right bar”, Kelly asked this mysterious young man? Eli, realizing that these two did not work at his company, responded “no, this is a private work event, but the bar downstairs is open to the public.” Eli, not realizing he had just completely fumbled a great opportunity, turned away, and that was that. Kelly, disappointed as well, went her separate way…

Two weeks later, while swiping through Bumble, Eli and Kelly matched… Kelly knew immediately that she had bumped into this guy at the bar, so she reached out: “sorry for crashing your corporate event the other week, lol.” Eli, still completely oblivious, responded: “corporate event? What do you mean?” Frustrated at this point, Kelly explained. Realizing the opportunity that he had fumbled, but also the second chance in front of him, Eli insisted on finding a time to get together for a first date. Kelly agreed at first, then proceeded to ghost Eli for about 2 weeks. “I got really sick, but I am okay now,” Kelly told Eli after he decided to reach out one last time. And so it was a date.

Now it was Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – date night! Eli put on his jeans and boots and a well-fitted button down; Kelly in a flowy dress and a jean-jacket like a true southern girl (she knew what she was doing). The date could not have gone better: the conversation flowed so easily and there was definitely attraction on both sides. As a result, Kelly offered to have Eli over for dinner at her house on Sunday night.

Arriving with flowers and white wine in hand, Eli was excited about the prospect of a second date at a girls HOUSE! Kelly, appreciating the wine and flowers gesture, had a good feeling about this guy and even kept a few flower petals from that bouquet (she still has them today). Their dinner and conversation only validated what they were both feeling, that this would be the start of something special.

A couple weeks later, they made their relationship official and, with the addition of Teddy early on, they formed a strong bond. In June of 2023, they moved in together and just under a year later, Eli popped the big question.

Paths cross in unique and unexpected ways – you never know who you’re going to meet nor when – all we can say is good thing the stars aligned when they did, so we can all come together to celebrate. See you in Charleston in Fall of '25!

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