Our Story
KACKY’S POV
I know this story may sound fairly juvenile, but at the end of the day, we truly were just kids when we met…
A little over eight years ago, Andrew came to Tuscaloosa for a rush event and I was a freshman Kappa. I was friends with the SAEs and the KAs and I started to hear all this ruckus going on about what fraternity “Andrew Carney” was going to pledge. Even the girls were talking about it. I remember thinking to myself “Who is this Andrew Carney guy?” One of the guys jokingly said, “Go flirt with Andrew and tell him we’re the best fraternity and our parties are the most fun”. So, obviously, I did. Andrew kinda ignored that part and introduced himself instead. Then he asked me such a simple question: “So what kind of things do you like to do for fun?” At the time, that caught my attention immediately. It showed me Andrew’s genuine interest in getting to know other people and making real connections. He then asked me to make my way to the Sigma Nu house to meet up with his friend Ben McCool. So, we like to say that our first date was at Gorilla Zoe concert at the Sigma Nu house. But actually, we have talked every single day since that first day we met.
Later that summer, Andrew came to Charleston with his cousin Joe for Joe’s birthday. I was living in Charleston that summer with my friends and we were all very excited when we heard Joe had invited Andrew. I was more nervous than excited though. My friends were laughing at me. They even have a video of him arriving and me giving him an awkward side hug, with a bright red face, and then bolting in the other direction. As the weekend progressed, Andrew either never got let into a bar or would quickly get kicked out of the bar and I always went along with him. Despite that situation, we had a ton of fun together and that summer is when my little crush became a real crush.
BUT he was about to start his freshman year and I had a feeling that I was going to have to wait. Despite talking and hanging out almost every day, I waited until 3 days before Christmas before I got a **TEXT** from Andrew that said “Can I introduce you to my parent’s friends as my girlfriend?” I literally threw my phone and was jumping around with excitement while my sister, May May, watched. Totally elated.
We then went on to spend our years at Alabama, drunk in love. Spending our summers in Montana with Andrew’s grandparents quickly made me develop a love for the west like Andrew. My brother Bo lived in Denver and we wanted to be near family but still out west so the answer was simple. We move to Colorado. We’ve loved living in Colorado together. Fishing, skiing, hiking, bluegrass concerts and hanging out with friends are only just some of the things that Andrew and I love to do together and I truly owe it all him. He was always patient and worked through the tears when I’d lose a fish or fall on the mountain and he was the sweetest and best teacher I’ve ever had. Watching him do this with our kids one day will be something I know I’ll treasure forever.
I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Andrew, truly. His “brighter than life” attitude, humor, kindness, patience (so much), and his love are only a handful of qualities that make Andrew, Andrew. I’m truly so lucky. I can’t wait to celebrate with you all in Bozeman and thank you for being a part of our love story <3!
ANDREW’S POV
When Kacky and I first met in Tuscaloosa eight years ago, I had no idea how lucky I would be to one day call this older Kappa girl my wife. During that first interaction, I remember thinking she was the coolest, funniest, and most beautiful girl I had ever talked to. In that moment, I instantly knew she was the one, and we’ve been together ever since.
For the first few months after we met, Kacky and I kept in touch over text and Snapchat—we were basically talking every day. By summer, I knew she was living in Charleston, so when my cousin Joe asked if I wanted to go there for the weekend and hang out with his friends, I was all in. At that point, I was an SAE pledge, and I didn’t care at all that there would be older actives making me eat or drink nasty stuff, embarrassing me, or calling me names. I just wanted to see Kacky again—and that’s where I think our story truly began.
Kacky and I have been together since freshman year of college, which means we’ve been through a lot of different phases of life together. From coping with the loss of a parent to learning new skills side by side, we truly make a great team. I remember the first time we went skiing together—it was sophomore year spring break, and I accidentally took Kacky down a blue run on her very first ski run. I swear she could have killed me—and probably would have if she could stand up on the skis—but in that moment, I saw how eager she was to learn and how much she shared my interests. The same goes for fly fishing during the summers we spent in Montana. I’m sure Kacky didn’t want to go fishing every single day, but she still does it to this day because she loves me and knows how happy it makes me to share the things I love. I think that’s why we make such a good team—and why all our friends used to say, “Kacky and Andrew show what true love is.”
After college—which I’m still amazed Kacky put up with me through—we’ve lived in Colorado together for five years. I remember when Kacky got her placement at EY and was headed to Atlanta to start her career. We had to have the hard long-distance conversation because I really wanted to move to Colorado. The very next day, Kacky had already submitted her transfer request. I’ll never forget the joy I felt when they approved her move to Denver so we could start this next chapter together. Since then, we’ve had more adventures than most couples could dream of, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner (including Willie) to explore the Wild West with.
Looking back to September 2025, when I proposed to Kacky, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. I couldn’t wait to give her the ring of her dreams. The hardest part was getting her sisters to agree on a date and restaurant for dinner afterward! So when I pulled off the side of the road in front of the Flatirons, I wasn’t even nervous to get down on one knee and make this promise for the rest of my life. I cannot wait to spend forever with the love of my life and to see our little family of three grow and share all the adventures to come.