Our Story

Ellie and Carson met in the fall of 2023 when they were placed together as co-leaders of a Grace Bible Church college Bible study. Before the semester began, they got to know one another and shared testimonies over a filling meal at Willie’s Icehouse. They both attended Texas A&M University, and as classes began, they held their first Bible study at Ellie’s house, where they dove into Psalm 1 with their new friends.

That fall happened to be the time BeReal was on the rise. Most of their next two semesters were only photographed using the BeReal app. They saw each other three or more times each week to prepare for and lead their Bible study group through the Psalms. Little did Ellie know, Carson had caught feelings for her only a couple of weeks in! Because Bible study leaders were asked not to date within their group to avoid awkward dynamics within the members, he waited until the end of the fall semester, when they were no longer officially co-leading together, to confess his feelings to her. One fateful December 2nd in 2023, they decided to meet up to celebrate a great semester partnership by playing board games together in Aggie Park. Walking back to their cars, Carson finally thought the moment was right to admit his feelings to her and asked if she would be interested in going on a date.

The next week was a whirlwind of exciting activities, dates, and final exams. On December 12, 2023 they finally made it official: they were boyfriend and girlfriend. The following semester, they sought out every opportunity to study, play board games, and be intentional with each other. Over spring break, Ellie brought Carson home with her to San Antonio to meet her parents and show her hometown to him. That spring semester was full of exciting firsts and lasts, as it was their first semester of dating and Ellie’s final semester at A&M. Before she graduated, Ellie got to participate in many senior traditions, but the most special, was Ring Dance. Ellie graduated from TAMU with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation Sciences.

Carson soon took Ellie to Houston to hang out with his dad and get to know him better. Many more adventures together followed that summer, including several in Houston, flying to visit friends in Nevada, and a vacation chilling in the Frio River at Garner State Park. That July, they decided to make or break the relationship through a preliminary round of premarital counseling. (Thank you to Scott & Kim Casteel for guiding us through some tough topics in SYMBIS; we really appreciate y’all!)

After the summer of 2024, they found a new rhythm around Ellie’s new full-time position and Carson’s fall semester classes. They spent the holidays in San Antonio with Ellie’s family, took a few more trips to Houston to be with Carson’s dad, and faced a real challenge of coming up with new and creative date ideas as their relationship deepened.

Once January struck, they began the search for a wedding venue, landing on Peach Creek Ranch as the winner. Other important wedding vendors soon followed. As spring progressed, Carson and Ellie started the final round of premarital counseling through a program hosted at their church called Merge. Over spring break, they took a road trip to Peoria, IL to meet Carson’s mom and siblings: a necessary prerequisite for engagement. While there, they enjoyed lots of great food and time with Carson’s family. Keeping secrets from Ellie yet again, Carson was already preparing to propose to Ellie in the next few months.

After they arrived back in Texas and recovered from the 16-hour drive, the stage was set for Carson to propose. He contacted Ellie’s roommates unbeknownst to her and coordinated with them on the perfect time for Ellie to get her nails done. Her roommates suggested a day for all three to go to the nail salon together. Ellie made sure that Carson knew that he had limited time to propose. She was completely clueless he had planned their engagement for that very weekend! His carefully crafted story had begun months earlier in January. That weekend, Ellie and Carson had planned to travel back to San Antonio to help one of Carson’s friends set up for a black-tie event that he was hosting… at Ellie’s favorite place, ever! The conspiracy grew as Ellie’s mom invited her whole family back into town to attend a concert being held the same night. (Fun fact: Mrs. Beebe reached out about the concert tickets before knowing that Carson had already made plans for that night.) Conveniently, it was the perfect excuse for both of Ellie’s sisters to come home. Everything was now in motion, no going back now.

Carson suggested that they wear their ring dance outfits to attend his buddy’s event. He later asked Ellie if she’d like to have a fancy dinner date before the event, as that night marked their 16th month of dating. They had a lovely dinner together, and the waiter even brought out a special dessert without prompting! It wasn’t until they were parking at Cibolo Nature Center that Ellie started to suspect anything. As they walked through the dimly lit area, the lights in the trees turned on to reveal a beautiful arrangement of sunflowers and photographs from throughout their dating season. Carson guided Ellie from picture to picture, ending the moment with some Spirit-led words. He got down on one knee and as he presented the ring, Ellie didn’t hear him ask the question! Confused, she placed the ring onto her finger and said “Yes!”, but this time, Carson didn’t hear her! Laughing about the confusion, they began to dance. Music played nearby, and his friends hid in the shadows to photograph and record the moment. (Thank you dearly to Robeam, Joni, and Blaine for capturing such an important memory for us!)

The newly engaged couple returned to Ellie’s parents’ house to discover her family had known the whole time and prepared a surprise party with a fancy cake and a toast! Ellie got to show off her ring to her sisters first, which was so special to her. They made posts to social media that night, but the surprise wasn’t finished yet. They ventured home to College Station, with Ellie assuming the fun was over. Two days later, Ellie went to have dinner at Carson’s house, only to be shocked to find all their close friends had planned a SECOND surprise party for her to celebrate. They told the tale of the proposal while watching the footage from that night. More cake and champagne followed. Ellie and Carson were overjoyed to get to share their excitement with so many friends.

As summer progresses, the newly engaged couple has lots of planning to do. In the meantime, Ellie will be serving as head cook for Frontier Camp, a place near and dear to her heart, while Carson will spend most of his time working and preparing for the wedding and the marriage that follows. As the big day draws closer, more and more of the wedding details become solidified. Carson and Ellie are so excited to celebrate with you on December 14th!