Although they were both working at Home Depot, Cody & Erin met through mutual friends (turned family) in South Georgia on a Fourth of July trip in 2019. And while they were not quite smitten from the start, a seed of mutual intrigue was planted along the Satilla's tannin waters.

After a few months of lunchtime chats (alongside Erin's best friend Christine) and attempted meet ups, Erin found herself at Cody's annual Halloween party -- and enthralled in conversation with the host throughout the evening.

They reunited at a group meetup in Piedmont Park two weeks later, and quickly found themselves on a series of dinner dates and weekend excursions. Without watching their footing, they were were slowly starting to stumble.

By January, they were officially committed partners, though Cody will have you know he had his hesitations due to Erin's role in HR. Nonetheless, they were spending nearly all of their free time together by the end of winter.

Erin met Cody's mom, Laura, in early February 2020 (she'd met Cody's dad, Gene, within their first couple of weeks dating, when Gene just "happened" to be at the same bar Cody and Erin were meeting at); Cody met Erin's parents, Gary & Tammy, on a weekend trip to St. Augustine by the beginning of March. It was all going so blissfully well.

And then, while returning from St. Augustine, an assumed hangover became appendicitis. Without hesitation, Cody sprang into action and got Erin to medical care and worked with Laura to get Tammy up to Atlanta in time for Erin's first major surgery.

In the hospital room post-surgery, as Tammy & Erin tucked in for the night, Tammy whispered to Erin, "Well, I'd say he's a keeper." To which Erin managed, "duh."

Immediately following Erin's release from the hospital, the world began shutting down for COVID-19. Tammy returned to Jacksonville, leaving Erin bored and lonely. Cody, saving the day as he does, offered to let Erin stay in his guest room until the 2 weeks were up.

And they've been in love since!

In the past five years, Cody and Erin have stood hand in hand

through the losses of family, home, security in the state of the world;

through promotions, new friendships, new adventures;

through the long, hard days and uncomfortable anxious nights;

through triumphs & tribulations of mind, body, and soul;

through growth and regression;

as friends, lovers, gremlins, protectors, caregivers;

and now, as they stand together before God, their family, and their friends, to commit to a life being each other's witness & most loyal companion through the rest of our days.

After years of being together, Erin started to get antsy to take the next step in their relationship while Cody wanted to be sure of their dedication. Months into Erin's pestering, in a moment he'll cherish forever, Cody's Aunt Mary Bennet offered him a family heirloom - the engagement ring of her paternal grandmother, the original Mary Bennet Cox Dunwody. He graciously accepted, feeling it was a sign that their love was true & fated.

After months of planning, they took a five year anniversary trip back to the Satilla, to celebrate where their story began. While there may have been sneaking suspicions, Cody played it cool the first day of their long weekend, enjoying their peaceful environment.

On the evening of the second day, under the ruse of taking pictures at sunset, Cody escorted Erin down to the boat dock, where he had fairy lights leading the way to a candlelit dock.

As the sun sparkled on the river, Cody told Erin about his love for her and got down on one knee, asking her to marry him. Smiling too hard to see, she said yes, and they enjoyed a beautiful bottle of Veuve Clicquot as the sun went down.

Over candlelight (upon a table & floral arrangement provided by the original Mrs. Eugene Cox Dunwody and Mary Bennet), they enjoyed the finest steak dinner they may ever consume. Finishing with a dessert of cheesecake-stuffed strawberries, the happy couple listened to wonderful music and drank champagne until late into the evening.