Mckenna and Michael met on the very first day of high school in their hometown of Fernandina Beach. In fact, Mckenna was the first person Michael ever spoke to in high school. They grew closer as friends over the course of their freshman and sophomore years. By the end of sophomore year, Michael knew he liked her. He liked her a lot. Unfortunately for Michael, it took Mckenna a couple years to catch up. However, after much convincing, they finally started dating on July 23 rd , 2018, in the summer before their senior year. They were practically inseparable from that moment on. Once, while Michael worked as a lifeguard, his supervisor even made him kick her off the beach while she visited him. With how often she came to crash his work, they are lucky this only happened once. The beach was a large part of their growing relationship. Sometimes they would just take a blanket to the beach at night to look up at the stars.

After high school, they had to suffer through a semi-long-distance relationship. Mckenna pursued a Graphic Design major at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, while Michael pursued a Biochemistry major at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The drive was only an hour and a half, so it was easy for them to see each other at least once a month. FaceTime and Zoom helped them both stay connected while apart, and when together Michael cooked for her to save her from a noodle-based diet. Michael also introduced her to one of his favorite pass times at UF: being incredibly disappointed in the football team. Seriously, the Gators owe them some wins for all the money they’ve spent on food, drinks, and tickets.

When college ended, Michael took a gap year to work in a lab at UF while Mckenna stayed in Jacksonville to work as a web designer for Advantage Design Group. In July of 2024, Mckenna and Michael went on a small weekend trip to Savannah, Georgia, to celebrate their 6 th anniversary. At the end of the trip, they stopped off in Fernandina and took a small walk on the beach that was such a big part of their relationship. Michael got on one knee with a ring and asked Mckenna to marry him. Obviously, her answer was “Yes”. Not bad considering Mckenna was Michael’s first and only girlfriend.

Life remained busy following the engagement, while Mckenna continued crushing it at web design (just look at this website that she made), Michael started his PhD in Biochemistry at the UF College of Medicine. After getting his first year of graduate school out of the way, Mckenna finally made the move to Gainesville in the summer of 2025. Now, Mckenna still works as a web designer for the same company through a combination of commuting and remote work, and Michael is just under halfway through his PhD.

After coming so far — through high school, college, and beginning their professional careers — Michael and Mckenna are thrilled to finally marry their best friend. They have been looking forward to this wedding for years and can’t wait to celebrate it with their friends and family.