Whidbey graduates Shannon Elizabeth McAfee and Timothy James Lawson recently got married.

McAfee grew up on South Whidbey and graduated from South Whidbey High School in 2005, while Lawson is a North Whidbey native and 2003 Oak Harbor High School graduate. The couple married on June 17 on Long Island after a “winding courtship.” The private ceremony was attended by their immediate families and officiated by their friend, Nicholas Mulzoff.

The couple met in 2010 at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia where Lawson served as a Marine security guard and McAffee worked as a summer intern. They reconnected three years later at a mutual friend’s wedding on Long Island and commenced two years of long distance dating between Columbus, Ohio where McAfee worked for a nonprofit, and Washington D.C. where Lawson was attending college.

Lawson proposed on the summit of McAfee Knob in the Appalachian Mountains.

McAfee is the daughter of Bill and Diane McAfee of Clinton. Lawson is the son of Otto and Mary Lawson of Rock Valley, Iowa. McAfee earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University, while Lawson earned a bachelor’s degree from American University.

The couple resides in Arlington, Va. with their dog, Driver.