Yup, this is us

You’re probably wondering how we got here

Yup, this is us

It Started on a Soccer Field

Our story technically began in 2012, on a coed soccer field in Charleston. If you had asked either of us then where it was headed, we definitely wouldn’t have guessed Antigua.

By 2013, we had become best friends. Amanda had graduated from Wofford and was working in a lab at MUSC, where Carlos would stop by and the soundtrack was very often Fall Out Boy. Carlos was living on Sheppard Street with his best friends, Conor and Elliott, and those years were filled with late nights at Butcher & Bee, far too much ping pong at HoM, bowling at The Alley, and, of course, a lot of soccer.

Carlos was even there at the beginning of another long-term relationship in Amanda’s life: he met Calyx and Liberkuhn when she first adopted them at the Marion Square Farmers Market in 2013. He had no idea that, nearly a decade later, they would become part of the package.

Eventually, life took us in different directions. Amanda left Charleston for dental school at UAB, while Carlos stayed in Charleston working and playing soccer. Summers brought Amanda back, usually staying with Carlos and the boys, with necessary trips to Surf Bar for fish tacos and Painkillers.

Then life got busy, and for a few years, we lost touch. Amanda moved to San Antonio for residency, while Carlos continued building his life in Charleston.

And then, in the middle of COVID, Carlos reached out.

Very quickly, the friendship came back. It was easy and familiar, as though the years in between hadn't changed much at all. When Amanda eventually moved to Charleston, friendship became something more. In January 2022—almost ten years after we first met—we started dating.

Since then, life together has included plenty of the things that brought us together in the first place, especially soccer. Carlos's devotion to Liverpool has taken us across the Atlantic to see them play, while our travels have brought us to friends' weddings in England & Italy, kayaking in Portugal, and plenty of adventures in between. We also added a puppy, Xylo, to the family, and Carlos officially inherited Calyx and Liberkuhn—the same two cats he met all those years ago.

Then Carlos decided it was time to make things official—with a plan that required a fake Citadel award ceremony, a dog handoff, and several very convincing accomplices. Carlos told Amanda that his sister was receiving an award at The Citadel. Meanwhile, his friends texted to say they wanted to take Xylo to happy hour, which meant we needed to stop at Hampton Park first. After handing Xylo over, Carlos insisted that we walk toward The Citadel.

We never made it there.

On the bridge in Hampton Park, Carlos proposed. And just when Amanda thought the surprises were over, he had one more waiting: both of our families together for dinner to celebrate.

Our story has never really followed a straight line. It started with soccer, became a friendship, stretched across different cities and different chapters of our lives, and somehow found its way right back to Charleston—and to each other.

Fourteen years after we first met on that soccer field, we’re bringing together the people who have been part of all those chapters to celebrate the beginning of the next one with us in Antigua.

We can’t wait to see where we go from here.

Close-up of a smiling man and woman with patriotic headbands, showing their faces and expressions.
Close-up of a smiling man and woman with patriotic headbands, showing their faces and expressions.
Two smiling people, a woman and a man, holding a golden retriever puppy inside a room with plaques and posters on the wall.
Two smiling people, a woman and a man, holding a golden retriever puppy inside a room with plaques and posters on the wall.
Two smiling women at a soccer stadium with a mostly empty red seating area and some spectators. The field is visible in the background.
Two smiling people, a man and a woman, standing at a night football match at Fulham Football Club stadium. The stadium is lit up and filled with spectators.
People attending a basketball game in Madison Square Garden with a view from the balcony level, showing a large crowd on the court and the arena filled with spectators.
A smiling man in a blue checkered shirt holding a beer bottle and a woman wearing sunglasses and a white sleeveless top enjoying drinks in an outdoor setting with a wooden fence in the background.
Two people taking a selfie in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France; one man smiling on the left side and a woman with blonde hair on the right side, both wearing warm clothing and beanies.
Two people taking a selfie in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France; one man smiling on the left side and a woman with blonde hair on the right side, both wearing warm clothing and beanies.
Two people smiling, standing outdoors at night with colorful lights and a small garden behind them. One person is dressed in costume with a blond wig and red hat, the other is wearing yellow and holding a drink.
Two people smiling, standing outdoors at night with colorful lights and a small garden behind them. One person is dressed in costume with a blond wig and red hat, the other is wearing yellow and holding a drink.
A young woman in a pink top smiling and a young man in a dark shirt smiling, standing close together indoors with an American flag in the background.
A young woman in a pink top smiling and a young man in a dark shirt smiling, standing close together indoors with an American flag in the background.
A woman and man smiling and posing together indoors near a window at night, dressed in formal attire.
A woman and man smiling and posing together indoors near a window at night, dressed in formal attire.
A woman and man on a kayak on the ocean, with boats and a sailboat in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.