Kelly Elizabeth Neary just nearly avoided being born in a car on a cold January day in Summit, New Jersey; a few years earlier, Austin Curtis Regnery had been born during the fall in Los Angeles, CA. After a few years on the move, Kelly ended up in Georgia just a few neighborhoods down from Austin. They both loved growing up in Towne Lake and attended elementary, middle, and high school together, separated by just one grade.
During the Fall of 2011 Austin and Kelly had their first true encounter with one another at a Lecrae concert, where Kelly pushed Austin into a bush. Despite having been in the same friend groups in high school, they had never really interacted much. It was not until the following summer that Austin and Kelly would start falling for each other. Well, Austin fell first, and Kelly took her sweet time catching up. When Austin was finally able to muster up the courage to ask her out in September, Kelly responded by making him wait a few weeks for her decision. She finally agreed to go on their first date, October 21st 2012. Austin and Kelly grew up together over the next three years. They were best friends who were learning to love one another a lot, but more importantly they were learning to love the Lord together. They both received their degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where Austin discovered his passion for Information Technology, and Kelly found herself moving from being an engineer to pursuing a career in the medical field. They would always toss out the idea of getting engaged or married one day, but Kelly had no idea when or if it would actually happen...
In the beginning of January 2014, Austin began to put his engagement plan into motion. He was going to work at Boeing that summer, so he put together a string of forged emails stating that he and Kelly were invited to come to Charleston, SC with all expenses paid by Boeing. Kelly took the bait without hesitation. On the first day of Spring Break, they packed their bags and headed for Middleton Place Plantation. (Side Note: Austin always wanted a cool video montage of a trip, so he asked Kelly to help him film this one. Still Kelly was completely unsuspecting.) The weather was horrendous; it was cold and rainy the entire weekend, but it did not matter to them. They were just happy to be on an adventure together. On the morning of their second day in Charleston, they went for a stroll through Middleton Place's gardens. As they went around the property they would try and get artsy shots for their video. Finally, Austin set up the camera for what he was expecting to be the proposal, and then it began to downpour on them. They took shelter in a shack nearby, waiting for the rain to clear. Austin could tell Kelly was getting cold and tired, so he said they would try and wait out the rain for thirty minutes. Well, thirty minutes came and went, and there was still a heavy drizzle, but they decided to just go for one last shot. While Austin prepped the camera, Kelly ran down to get ready for the shot, not knowing what was coming next. Austin walked down to Kelly and said he actually had something to give her. Kelly's eyes got wide, but when she saw him pull out a note she collected herself. Then she began to lose focus as it became clear that Austin was proposing. Kelly tried to read the note, but she couldn't quite finish it. Austin took her by the hand and professed his love for her and his intent for their marriage to honor God and one another. Austin got down on one knee and opened the box, and Kelly had been waiting for the day to say yes to the man of her dreams. She did not make him wait this time and promptly said yes! They spent the rest of the day celebrating and sharing the story with their friends and family. Now they are anxiously waiting becoming husband and wife on January 10th, 2015 when they can finally celebrate their marriage with all of their friends and family. Hope to see you there!
