Alicia Helms and Andrew Swain look forward to their December ceremony at The Distillery
By Ellison Beaver|Photo by Photos by Clay
Wedding Date Dec. 2, 2023
Occupations Alicia works as an executive assistant at Duke University, and Andrew is a clinical data manager at SpringWorks Therapeutics.
Crossed Paths The couple met 10 years ago during their junior year at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. The two admit they both had crushes on each other, but Andrew says he was too scared to ask Alicia out at the time. The couple reconnected seven years later in the midst of the pandemic. After getting back in touch, Alicia came to realize a serendipitous detail: She’d passed Andrew’s house every other day while out on runs with her dog, Zero. Their first date consisted of CookOut and dirt bike shopping, and the rest is history.
The Proposal Andrew popped the question at Biltmore in Asheville, where he and Alicia vacationed on their first solo trip together. Andrew chose a scenic spot and enlisted a photographer disguised as a tourist to help him pull off the surprise. Andrew approached the photographer and asked him to take a photo of the couple with a phone. When Andrew dropped to one knee, the photographer switched to his camera to capture the special moment. Alicia was so excited, she almost grabbed the ring before Andrew could propose. The pair later took engagement photos at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, with Chapel Hill-based photographers Photos by Clay, who will also document the couple’s December ceremony at The Distillery in Garner, North Carolina.
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