Our Story

How We Met

On June 21, 2014, we met for the first time on a nearly-blind date on top of a mountain—truly, in the middle of nowhere. We had been hearing each other's names for months since we had mutual friends, but only decided to meet in person after connecting through Facebook (Kyle sent the first message). We drove up to a local scenic viewpoint known as World's Edge, which overlooks the plains of Piedmont just below Hendersonville, NC. After four hours of hiking through the overgrown summer trails, sharing our histories and passions, we parted ways feeling more hopeful and a little less alone. That first summer was defined by a flurry of new adventures and earnest, late-night conversations that developed into a lasting relationship... the best one we have ever known.

"Hello Sara. I'm Taylor's buddy Kyl. I hear cool and interesting things about you. It made me want to say hello."
— Kyle's First Message

The Proposal

Just prior to our third anniversary, we had moved in together and were looking at the possibility of building our own home. One of us had recently started a new job and the other was occupied by a live-in home renovation. Life was more hectic than usual, so we agreed not to go away for a weekend to celebrate. Instead, we recreated our fifth date: sushi and drinks in downtown Hendersonville, followed by dessert sitting in front of the fountain on Main Street. On this particular date, we sat at the fountain until two in the morning, just talking. We remember being heckled by passersby: "You guys must really like fountains!" This time, after exchanging gifts, there was one more box to open (Kyle asked, Sara said yes). A surprise to only one of us, but surely the happiest day yet for us both.

Our Last Name

We have made a commitment to start a new life together, one that has its own traditions and identity. This shared new chapter in our lives merits a new title, so we will both be changing our last name to Lucaelo (loo-kay-low). This surname was not arbitrarily chosen; in fact, we deliberated over it for many weeks following our engagement. It is a handcrafted name: a thoughtful combination of two Latin words, Lupus and Caelo—the former meaning wolf (for Sara) and the latter meaning sky or heavens (for Kyle's love of the wind). These words were also chosen for their initial letters, which allowed us to pay homage to our given last names: "L" for LaBelle and "C" for Christensen.