Meet Talon and Alyssa

My husband Talon and I met eight years ago when I moved across the country to Dallas, Texas where we connected instantly at a Texas Roadhouse work orientation just two days after I arrived. Our love moved fast; we got engaged right after his Navy Boot Camp graduation, started planning a wedding with DJ, photographer, and venue booked, but the Navy’s constant date changes forced us to cancel everything. We instead eloped at our favorite nature preserve in Plano, Texas, with just our reverend, a photographer, our two dogs, and my family watching on FaceTime, followed by dinner at Texas Roadhouse and a sweet mini-moon in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. After a year apart due to his service, we reunited at our first duty station in Norfolk, Virginia, where I got pregnant with our first son right before Talon deployed. Luckily he made it home just four weeks before the birth. Only five weeks after he was born, we PCS’d to Jacksonville, Florida, where we spent three meaningful years and welcomed our second baby boy. Now, back in my hometown in Northeast Pennsylvania, Talon has honorably completed his active duty time with the U.S. Navy, and we’re building our civilian life with our two boys. Though we’ve dreamed of a proper wedding or vow renewal for the past six years, life, military, moves, babies and finances kept getting in the way, leaving that celebration on hold. Being a finalist for The Armory’s Vows of Valor Giveaway feels like a true honor for Talon’s service and our resilient journey; this historic venue, once home to the National Guard, would let us finally exchange vows surrounded by family and friends, celebrating our love and sacrifices in the way we’ve always wanted. We’d be incredibly blessed and grateful for this gift.