Designed by Him

Emily & Aaron

I grew up in a small town in southeast Ohio, attended college in Charleston, South Carolina, and went to medical school at Ohio Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am a national and international aesthetic medicine and surgery educator and speaker, as well as a breast cancer survivor who uses my speaking platforms to educate and inspire other women to overcome adversity and achieve their highest potential. 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was just 28 years old. I received the call the day I was supposed to graduate from medical school. I didn’t attend my graduation ceremony, but instead, had a bilateral mastectomy two weeks after my diagnosis, and then began my residency four weeks later. Today, I am happily cancer-free.

Aaron was originally born and raised in Detroit and grew up in a household of four women (his mom, his aunt, and his two older sisters). Aaron’s parents divorced when he was five, making him “the man of the house” at a very young age. In an effort to change his rough circumstances, Aaron dedicated his life to sports. He received a full-ride scholarship to play football at the University of Cincinnati and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science, graduating in three years. 

After an exceptional college football career, Aaron went on to play for the Houston Texans, followed by the Chicago Bears, and then started his own private investment real estate company, Time Property Management, LLC, after his NFL career ended. 

At the age of 29, Aaron endured a life-changing event when his mother suddenly passed due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This experience turned his focus to philanthropy. He began participating in, and later becoming an ambassador for, Out of the Darkness Walks, a flagship fundraising event for the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention), which helps educate and destigmatize those suffering from depression, anxiety, and mental illnesses.

Three months later, I informed Aaron that my boyfriend (at the time) and I were breaking up, and he needed to break our lease. Then, five months later, I told Aaron that I needed to break the lease, as I was moving to Florida for a job opportunity. During this conversation, I asked him if he would be willing to go on a date with me if I submitted my early move-out payment. He informed me that he does not date his tenants, and I assured him our date would be only after I moved out. 

Aaron proposed to me on the seventh anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, on May 6, 2022. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted for our wedding, so I planned multiple versions that never really panned out, and just ended up causing me a ton of stress. Then, in June of 2023, I asked Aaron what he wanted for his birthday coming up on July 20. He told me he just wanted to marry me. I had opened a new business on June 1 and was incredibly busy and stressed trying to run a new office, so I told him that if that’s what he wanted for his birthday, he would have to do all the planning. And he did! I bought my dress, and he took care of every other detail, including the location, the venue, and all the things that made our day perfect. I didn’t know really what to expect, other than I knew that no one was invited—it was just two of us, an elopement.

We came upon the Jackson location by chance. We knew we wanted a venue in the mountains, and our first trip together was to an Aman resort in the Dominican Republic. It was such a special experience, so we decided to get married at an Aman location. Due to our hectic work schedules, limited availability, and last-minute timing, Jackson Hole was chosen a mere month before our wedding day. And it just so happened to work out that our first choice of vendors—our photographer, Taylor Glenn, our wedding planner, Alison Kyle, and our makeup artist, Tracey Garcia—were all available on that day.

On the day of our wedding, we ate breakfast together and took a long walk, and then went our separate ways around noon. I remained in the room to get ready where Tanya, my wonderful hair artist, helped me. Aaron retired to the men’s clubhouse to get ready. Then, right before our ceremony began, an enormous moose ran through the Aman property and decided to lounge in the area where our ceremony was supposed to take place, delaying our wedding by an hour. 

Aaron hired String Lake Quartet to play our favorite Kanye West songs. (I can’t believe he pulled that off! It was amazing!) Then, once the moose moved on, we recited our vows on a grassy hill overlooking the Tetons. The sky was incredibly clear, and we had a perfect view of the mountains. 

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ADVICE FOR COUPLES

Just be yourself—who you are is good enough.