Abby and Dustin first met in January of 2018 at a weekly trivia night at Barley's Taproom in downtown Asheville, NC. That first time they met, they connected over having both been to Italy and how good the food there is. At the next trivia night the following week, Dustin made a point of sitting next to Abby and they talked for much of the night. Abby mentioned she likes photography and Dustin took the opportunity to ask for her Instagram. After that night, Dustin and Abby chatted over Instagram and saw each other at get-togethers with the trivia friend group. In early February of 2018, Dustin invited Abby to a hiking group Meetup event, which ended up getting rained out. While informing Abby the event was canceled, Dustin said he still felt like doing something and asked her if she wanted to go see a movie. Abby was unclear as to whether others from the Meetup group were coming to the movie or not, but either way said yes. It was just the two of them and they saw The Greatest Showman. Upon saying goodbye, Abby gave Dustin her cell phone number.

After about another week of talking, Dustin asked Abby out on an official first date. They went out to dinner at Tupelo Honey in Asheville. Reflecting back on that night, Dustin and Abby both remember easy and comfortable conversation and laughing a LOT. The waitress couldn’t believe it was their first (official) date and remarked that it seemed like they had known each other a long time. Before the night was over, Dustin asked Abby to celebrate Valentine’s Day with him (which was the very next day). Without hesitation and with a smile, Abby said yes and the rest is history.

Abby and Dustin fell fast and hard for each other, spending much of the Spring and Summer of 2018 together before Abby left for grad school in Oklahoma in August. Long distance took its toll, but the pair found their way back to each other and Abby settled back in to Western NC for good in early 2021.

Abby and Dustin share passions for traveling and live music. Throughout their relationship, they’ve seen a multitude of bands and have been able to travel to California, Ireland, Costa Rica, Japan, and Texas together. They look forward to more travel and live music as a married couple.

At home, they enjoy gaming, movies, and spending time with their dog Russell and cat Norman, in addition to the plethora of breweries and outdoor activities Western NC has to offer.