our story

Lawson & Cameron

Growing up, Cameron and I surprisingly didn’t know each other, even though we were both born and raised in the same area. I was a proud fourth-generation New Hanover Wildcat, Diamonds forever, baby! He was a rival of ours, an ole’ Hoggard Hog. After we both graduated high school in 2012, I moved to New York to start my career in the beauty industry, while Cameron stayed local, attended Cape Fear Community College, worked, and moved in with his best friends, Jimmy Vass and Jackson David.

I returned from New York in 2014. Since Jimmy was one of my best family friends and Cool Breeze's roommate, that’s how I met Cameron. From 2014 to 2016, Cool Breeze and I developed a great friendship and shared countless hilarious memories with all of our friends. Our groups mixed perfectly, and he became good friends with my sister, her then-boyfriend (now husband), Ben, my parents, and pretty much my whole family. Over time, I definitely developed a little crush, but I think he did too; he just won’t admit it even now.

My sister Elle and I lived at Hanover Place Townhomes, located at the intersection of Wrightsville Ave and Airlie Road, behind Atlantic Marine. We often hung out at the Trial Size Boat, which was docked at the BridgeTender Marina at the time. Sometimes, we’d walk between the boat and our townhome. Cool Breeze must have gotten a little too comfortable with the walk to my place because one night, he ended up at our house, uninvited and without a ride home. Of course, we loved having him. He slept over on top of the covers, and I swear, not even a toe touched me that night. I think he was a nervous wreck. Some of my girlfriends stayed over too, and the next morning, they piled onto my bed to gossip about the night before, with Cool Breeze right in the mix like it was completely normal (it wasn’t). But I always loved how perfectly he fit into my world, even back then.

I’ll never forget the night his mom called me looking for him. I didn’t know her well at the time, and I was with my family, behaving, so I had no idea where he was. My mom was puzzled as to why Cool Breeze’s mom was calling me. I didn’t have the answer then, but maybe Mrs. Julie always knew I’d be the one putting up with his antics.

Cameron left for the Army in 2016. I only saw him occasionally when he came home, maybe once or twice a year. After five years, he returned in 2021. When my dad heard he was back, he coincidentally needed help turning the barn on our property into a home. The salon where I worked was also on that property.

Not knowing Cameron was home yet, I was surprised to see him laying sod in the parking lot of my salon when I arrived for work one day. I was excited to have a friend back and grateful for the help he provided to my parents. He picked up right where he left off with everyone, so I’d see him socially with our friend group and at my parents’ house every day for about eight months. He helped prepare the property for Elle’s wedding and eventually transformed the barn into what is now my parents’ permanent home. It was great having him around again, but I didn’t think much of it at first.

Over time, though, the old crush I’d pushed aside in 2016 began to resurface. When he left for the Army, he was a cute 23-year-old boy, but when he came back, he had grown into a man and a very good-looking one at that.

As his work with my family came to an end, I thought it was the perfect time to test the waters. Our first date was at True Blue in late November 2022, and we’ve spent every day together since. At first, we kept things low-key due to our many mutual friends and family, wanting to ensure our feelings were genuine before sharing them. But we both liked each other plenty, and on Christmas Day, he showed up where my family was, and we shared the news that we were more than friends. My family was thrilled; they’d always loved him, and it felt seamless since he was already part of our lives.

On May 1, 2024, he proposed by tying the ring onto one of my mini pony’s halters and popping the question in the pasture where we now plan to build our home together. I was barefoot and completely clueless, which made the moment even more perfect.

Now, here we are, planning our wedding for May 3, 2025!