“We met in the Fall of 2020 when Journy joined Alabama Ballet, the professional ballet company we both dance for in Birmingham. We were both scheduled to take our season headshots at similar times and met while waiting in line. We had a mutual friend who was also getting his headshot made, and when all three of us were finished, we decided to walk to Red Cat, a nearby coffee shop. Come spring of 2021, we had developed a similar group of friends and found ourselves always hanging out whether it was playing beach volleyball, tennis, a game night, grabbing ice cream, or hosting dinner parties.
In April we began working on Alabama Ballet’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” (in which Journy danced Romeo!) and we found ourselves always talking during the rehearsals and shows we had off. Fast forward to May, I invited a group of friends to my family’s lake house on Logan Martin Lake for Memorial Day weekend. At the end of the night, Journy finally asked me out on a first date. Some of our friends who were there that day claim the moment they knew was when I fell over a pile of logs trying to retrieve firewood, and Journy ran over to help me. We went on our first date the next day, May 31, 2021.
On February 21, 2022, I had the night off from teaching at Alabama Dance Academy, and Journy asked if I wanted to go on a date. It was a Monday night, so he told me he would take care of the plans and to be ready at 5:30pm. There was a little rain drizzle that night so I was a little confused when he drove me to a hidden lookout wall in English Village – the same place we came to on one of our favorite dates. The drizzle let up just as we arrived, and as we got out of the car he took my hand and we began walking to the lookout. We stopped to take in the view, reminiscing about our favorite date, and after a few moments he gave me a squeeze and then got down on one knee. What came next were some of the sweetest words I’ve heard, and of course I said yes! My sister, Kara Warren, who is a wedding photographer in Nashville, popped out of hiding and captured the moment perfectly. Journy and I then went to Big Spoon Creamery for some celebratory ice cream and afterwards Journy surprised me with an engagement party hosted at my parents house with all of our favorite people. It was one of the sweetest, happiest nights of our lives, and we are so thankful for everyone who has celebrated with us.” – Bryn
