Like any good love story, our families had big plans for us behind our backs. Little did we know, they had been plotting and planning a way to set Johnny and Ally up for years. But it wasn't until March 2021, when Joy Danko and Stephanie Barr pulled together and made it happen. For Stephanie's birthday, Johnny was invited to "stop by" the best Italian restaurant in town for dinner, and Ally was unknowingly walking into a setup. At the end of a table full of her aunts, cousins, mom and grandpa, there sat two chairs for Ally and her future husband. Our families turned out to be successful matchmakers after listening in to every conversation we had that night, pushing for a proper first date. And the rest is history!

For our first official Christmas living together, we decided we wanted a real tree. Johnny said he searched all over town for the best Christmas tree farm, which later turned out to be true after he called several places in hopes of staging the perfect proposal location. The day of, we were supposed to meet friends at the tree farm that apparently offered "the best deals" on Christmas trees. They texted to let us know the best trees were in the back lot, so we drove all the way around the park to a remote spot where our friends were nowhere to be found. Instead, we turned the corner to find champagne, roses, and a Christmas tree decorated with lights and one ornament that read, "Will You Marry Me."