Emily and Chad will exchange vows in an intimate ceremony in March… So join us for the After-Party to celebrate their union!

Chad and Emily briefly met on a rooftop during the Austin Startup Crawl of 2019 (but that's another story… ask us over cocktails). During the pandemic, they were invited to join an online game night organized by Katie Sexton, close friend of both Emily and Trenton (Chad’s brother). The official in-person meeting happened at the Sexton's housewarming party several weeks later. Soon after, Chad asked Emily out on their first real date, and Emily quickly gained a new appreciation for puns.

Chad set it up for friends, Kristi and Sean, to text that they had a reservation at Juniper which they were unable to use last minute. Emily took the bait and was excited to eat at one of her favorite restaurants. They showed up at Juniper at 6:30 p.m. The host said the table wouldn’t be ready until 7:00 p.m. but that they could have a cocktail at the bar upstairs. Emily said, "Awesome, I didn't even know they had a bar upstairs!” The second floor of Juniper was actually an intimate event space with a bar not open to the public. They went upstairs, and it was empty. Emily thought the space would be great for work dinners, and proceeded to start taking pictures to show her colleagues… Meanwhile, Chad was trying to draw her attention to a table in the corner that was beautifully decorated with candles and a large box in the center. Chad said, "What do you think is in the box?" Emily, still clueless about what was happening, said "Chad, I don't think we're supposed to be up here... looks like it is decorated for a shower or something." Chad started to open the box. Emily started to panic. “Chad, stop. That's not ours!" Undeterred, Chad continued to slide the ribbon off the box. Printed under the lid were the words “First Dates Kit” and inside was a host of items from where they had gone on their first few dates (including a Gremlins drive-in movie t-shirt). Then, at the bottom of the box, Chad had written, “Will you join me on the first date of the rest of our lives?” Chad got down on one knee and proposed with ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran playing in the background (fresh off of knee surgery, Emily’s leg did indeed “not yet work like it used to before”)… and she said YES! Chad kissed her; and Emily, delirious with happiness, noticed an iPhone and a hand peeking up from behind the bar. It was Kristi and Sean taking pictures. The manager of Juniper entered with a champagne toast for everyone, and Chad and Emily moved back downstairs to enjoy the first date of the rest of their lives!