November 18, 2017 - Emily Vaughan (Maid of Honor) invites Alec to her and Christine's apartment for a Friendsgiving (Crunksgiving) meal. Alec accepts and brings his friends. Christine arranges the seating for the night and puts Alec next to her. Alec, knowing he needs a date to his fraternity formal in a couple weeks, hits it off with Christine and invites her. Christine fortunately says yes and the rest is history.
December 7, 2017 - Alec and Christine go on their first date to see "Coco" at the local Charlottesville movie theater. Christine loves the light-hearted Disney movie, while Alec struggles to stay awake. After the movie ends, Alec is so mesmerized by Christine that he side-swipes a pole in the parking garage to damage his prized Jeep Grand Cherokee. Keep your eyes on the road, Alec!
January 18, 2018 - First day back at school after Winter Break, Alec and Christine make it official and start dating. They take a photo at Kappa Sig to commemorate the special occasion.
May 19, 2018 - Christine and Alec wear the "honors of Honor", graduating from the University of Virginia, and start their long distance relationship. Christine moves to Austin, TX, Alec heads home to Houston, TX, and they both begin their careers. The happy couple gets well acquainted with the drive between Houston and Austin (no navigation needed)!
2019 - Christine and Alec take advantage of vacation time and do some traveling. They traveled to Tampa, Cancun, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Marfa, Big Bend, Naples, Galveston, New York, South Bend, Charleston, Banff, and Lake Louise.
Favorite memories include: mountain lion sighting in West Texas, Christine learning how to ski on the bunny hills in Canada, spontaneous trip to Minnesota to see UVA win their first NCAA men's basketball national championship, and Alec sporting a pirate wig at his first ever Gasparilla parade.
July 18, 2020 - On the two and a half year anniversary of when they started dating, Alec books a weekend at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples (Christine's favorite resort) under the guise that it is a late 25th birthday celebration for Christine. Christine thinks it will just be the two of them for the weekend. On Friday, Alec's family secretly flies in from Houston and meets up with Christine's family for dinner in Tampa (while Alec and Christine are relaxing in Naples).
The two families drive down to Naples on Saturday. While Alec keeps Christine distracted on the beach (which is no easy feat when Christine wants ice cream), the two families quietly check in to the hotel and hide in their rooms. Without Christine's knowledge, Alec rents out the beach house which overlooks the water at the resort for Saturday night. Alec tells Christine he made a reservation at the nice restaurant in the resort (which happens to be closed due to Covid - luckily Christine doesn't think to check!), and he suggests that the two of them get dressed up and take a sunset photo on the beach prior to dinner.
Alec and Christine get ready for dinner while the two families are escorted down to the beach house. With two photographers hidden on the beach and the families watching anxiously from above, Alec walks Christine down to the beach, gets down on one knee, pulls out the ring, and proposes. After having rehearsed a long speech and forgetting 90% of it in the moment due to nerves, Alec starts talking and Christine says yes before he even asks!!!
Alec tells Christine that he has a surprise for her and walks her to the beach house where they are greeted with glasses of champagne. The newly engaged couple takes the elevator to the second floor of the beach house and, when the elevator door opens, their families surprise Christine and swarm her with hugs and kisses. Alec planned a beautiful and private 5 course meal where the two families celebrate the engagement overlooking the beach and watching the sunset. It was the happiest night of their lives!