Chelsea and Brian met at Miami University in the fall of 2012. Chelsea was beginning her senior year, while Brian was hired back to teach earlier that summer. Over the course of that year, they slowly became friends and their friendship continued to grow in the years that followed. In January 2016, after many years of Google chats, text messages, and phone calls, Chelsea invited Brian to visit her in Chicago over a holiday weekend. After a successful, weekend-long "first date" (we know, bit of a gamble there), they began dating long-distance and traveled back and forth to visit each other on a monthly basis. In 2018, they were finally able to call the same city (and apartment) home. Chelsea and Brian currently live in New Orleans, LA.

This day began like most days do... except... it was Chelsea’s birthday! (And if you know Chelsea, she's a big fan of birthdays, especially her own!) They got up early to grab a coffee and take a walk to one of their favorite spots in New Orleans: Audubon Park. As they approached the park, Brian suggested they go over to the "Tree of Life," a massive, 120+ year-old oak tree that is a New Orleans landmark. Chelsea kind of wondered, "Why do we need to go to the tree?” but followed Brian as he (rather hurriedly) made his way there. When they arrived, the tree was buzzing with activity - a young family taking photos, another group having a picnic, an older couple sitting on one of the viewing benches. They took a seat on another bench and sat for awhile, chatting and enjoying the sunny day. As they sat there, the buzz around the tree began to fade. The older couple walked away; the family finished their photography session and piled into their car. With the Tree of Life to themselves, Brian turned, looked at Chelsea, and said, “There's another reason we’re here today.” He then took Chelsea's hands, slid off the bench, and on to one knee. As both of their hands trembled a bit and lots of happy tears welled up, Brian asked Chelsea to marry him!!!!