THEStory OF

HOW COLTEN AND HAYLEY
Began

On an evening summer drive, Hayley happened to be listening to the radio, an out-of-character event. The radio DJs were promoting a contest where the next caller could win 2 tickets to see Hippocampus, an indie rock band that Hayley loved. Fairly convinced that radio contests were fictional, she quickly dialed the number anyway... And in a stroke of fate, or divine intervention, Hayley won the tickets.

She happily awaited the night of the show... But as the date approached, she realized her second ticket might go to waste. In hopes of giving it away to someone who would fully appreciate it, she offered it up for free online to anyone who would take it.

In another stroke of fate, a mutual friend that she'd never even met, reached out to inquire about the ticket. His name was Mait Hudson. Mait, in all of his wisdom and foresight, saw some kind of potential in this ticket transaction, and he took the opportunity to claim it for his Hippocampus loving best friend, Colten Marsh. Hayley agreed to give her ticket away to Mait's aforementioned friend, and Colten very hesitantly accepted.

The two would meet at Will Call that Friday evening.

As total strangers, Colten and Hayley were both equally nervous... It was unclear if they would be watching the show together, or simply passing off the ticket and saying their goodbyes. After awkward pleasantries, they unspokenly decided on a third option — they would stand somewhat near each other... a very comfortable 3-4 foot distance. Close enough to see the other, but too far to comfortably speak. They bobbed their heads to the music, leaning over and making small talk between songs, laughing at the charismatic saxophone player who would randomly appear and dissapear throughout the show.

After the concert, they stood in the parking lot and got to know each other. They talked about life and church and worship and friendships. Colten had a feeling this could be something special... But as adorable as Colten was, Hayley wasn't discerning enough to catch on to their potential.

Weeks went by, the summer continued... Colten's incredibly subtle advances unfortunately went unnoticed... But a deep respect and friendship had begun to form between them. One night, Colten got up the courage to invite Hayley to the Greek Festival, just the two of them. As it turns out, her and a couple friends were already planning to attend. She began the evening trying to set Colten up with another girl there... *eye roll* But the night would end differently.

Colten and Hayley were really hitting it off... they even shared dessert. (If you know Hayley, this is noteable). After the festival, they went to a seedy Kareoke bar and where they laughed at drunken singers. Fliration insued... Colten laid on the charm, Hayley secretly swooned...

Later, the two sat in one of their matching Honda Civic's, talking for hours and hours, through to the next morning... Hayley finally saw what Colten already knew. There was something really special and uniquely wonderful about this man. They've been together ever since —

Each one of you played a role in our lives, and a part in our story. We are so thankful for the beautiful community of people we've been surrounded with, and the bed of prayer our relationship was formed on.

We know the Lord's hand was in and throughout our meeting and we couldn't feel more grateful or blessed that he lead us to one another. Thank you for being a peice in our love story. We love you and can't wait to celebrate with you on March 21st.