Makenzie and Byron first locked eyes during a class they had together during undergrad at WVU when the professor assigned them to the same group. After the first time they met, Makenzie texted her friends and said, “I don’t even know this guy’s name, but he’s my next boyfriend.” After about 2 months, they finally became friends and would text each other about things outside of class. After another 5 months or so, they were almost best friends and talked almost constantly. At this point, Byron asked Makenzie out on a date, and she rejected him (WHAT!). Byron said that the offer would stand if Makenzie ever changed her mind. 

A few months later, Makenzie was talking to her friend (from the same group where Byron and Makenzie met) and said she was afraid to go on the date with Byron because she knew it would be her last first date. Well, Makenzie ended up checking on that offer with Byron, and he said of course the offer still stood. They planned to go to Texas Roadhouse for their first date. After about a month of “dates,” they finally made it official on September 30th, 2017. From there, they had a lot of classes together that helped bring them even closer together (and according to Makenzie, “It really showcased who had the brains in the relationship!”). They continued to grow together as a couple as they experienced a lot of life that happens in your college days. Now, at the age of what they consider “real adults” Makenzie and Byron both  feel they have the right foundation to lead them into the wonderful future they’ve always pictured for themselves (with each other – of course!). They have found that the hardest times (like a flooded basement) have been what truly brings them together and helps them fight life together, side by side.

When we asked Makenzie and Byron when they knew marriage was the next chapter in their love story, Makenzie shared, ” We’ve been together for four years and have almost all of the ‘married’ aspects without the paper – first we moved in together, then we got a cat, then we bought a house, then we got a dog, then we got engaged. We like to tease that we decided to get married because I got tired of waiting and bothered Byron enough about buying a ring, so he did. But seriously, other than that, we have just found life to always be better since we’ve been together. Even on bad days, we choose each other again and again. We both like our in-laws. We have a lot of similarities, and where we differ, we enjoy having ‘lively’ conversations. We have similar aspirations for our future – successful careers, a family, and just the typical American dream. We’ve had many arguments about figuring out life, such as who’s doing the dishes, and we always come out stronger.”

In their free time, Makenzie and Byron love watching tv (favorite shows include Love is Blind, The Circle and The Masked Singer), playing with their kiddos (pets Tigger and Maci), going on shopping dates (especially weekly grocery shopping trips), making plans to hang out with their friends and family almost every weekend, and enjoying talking with one another about anything and everything (about their day, the news, upcoming plans, etc.) Simply put, they love living life together no matter what they are doing. 

Above everything else, Makenzie and Byron value the respect they have for one another,  being family oriented (pets included!), and being hard working individuals that enjoy watching each other grow through their successes.