It's been almost 11 years.

Eleven years on a roller coaster ride together. From the best times of our lives to some of the worst. We have spent all those moments together. I was 15 years old when I met Brenden and I never knew that we would be where we are today. We have struggled so much learning to be adults together. How to save money, how to fix our credit, how to live alone, how to raise a daughter. We still learn from each other every single day.

The next step of our lives involves learning married life together. All while learning how to buy a home.

Through all these ups and downs, we have had so much help from family and friends who have been by our side, supporting us as time goes on.

Now more than ever, we need help.

Brenden and I are getting married Sept 24, 2022. We have family friends on the beaches of Outer Banks who are kind enough to offer lots of help to let us have our DREAM wedding on the coast of Outer Banks. The ocean connects us to the rest of the world. It connects our hearts and will always hold a special place. Getting married with our feet in the sand and our hearts connected to the sea will mean more than anything we can imagine.

Brenden and I are not in the greatest living situation. We have a home, but it is not where we see ourselves forever. We are working on purchasing our very first house so we can provide a better situation for our daughter, but that comes with a price.

We are struggling to do both. Even though we have some help in OBX, little things begin to add up.

We need the money soon to make sure we can get a house for our grandparents to be safe and for friends and family to stay in. The house will also be used for our reception since we will be having such a small wedding. We need someone who can take photos for us, so our friends and family don't have to stress about it, money for the gas to travel, and for a dress.

We don't normally ask for help, but we don't want to be in a bind trying to do this. We have been in love for so long we also don't want to miss out on the moments we will enjoy and look back on for the rest of our lives. Anything that you can offer to get us one step closer to our dream is more than we could ever thank you for. I can't explain how grateful we are for each and every one of you that have already helped us to get where we are today. It takes a village, and we are blessed to have ours.

Thank you for reading our story. We hope we can return the favor one day very soon.

"Sometimes, it takes more courage to ask for help than to act alone." - Ken Petti