engagement
Stephen Ellis & Amanda Swearingen B Y B RO O K E S PAC H P HOTO G RA P H Y B Y P HOTO S BY C L AY, P HOTO S B YC L AY. COM
Wedding Date March 27, 2021
Occupations Amanda is a math and science teacher at Cedar Ridge
High School, and Stephen is a financial planner for Strategic
Financial Group in Chapel Hill.
Crossed Paths They both hail from the Chicago suburbs and moved
to the area for school in the early 2000s. Amanda attended Duke
University, and Stephen went to UNC-Chapel Hill. The couple
met at Kaplan Test Prep when they were both tutoring there. “After becoming friends one day, we decided to see a movie together and haven’t looked back about nine and a half years later,” Amanda says. The Proposal Stephen and Amanda got engaged on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020, right as lockdown
restrictions went into full swing. Amanda says that the proposal was no surprise, but she was blown away by Stephen’s efforts in designing her engagement ring. He traveled to Long Island, New York, to get a special diamond cut, and he worked with a designer in California on the setting. “Stephen’s attention to detail and his effort in making my engagement ring is not only a testament to our relationship,” Amanda says, “but also that he often knows me and what I want more than myself!” After months of planning and designing the ring, Stephen couldn’t wait to pop the question. He proposed in their kitchen the day the ring arrived. The Big Day The couple’s ceremony and reception will take place at Vidrio in Raleigh. They will be married by Pastor Sharon Schulze of South Durham Connections. “I wouldn’t wish for another pandemic anytime soon, but it certainly does work as a good relationship test,” Amanda says. “I’m happy to say we certainly passed with flying colors!”
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