Chris and Bridget met on the first day of Boston College's freshman orientation on July 19, 2010, and they have been best friends ever since. They sat next to each other during their 8 am Calculus course freshman year, cheered on their favorite BC Eagles, and spent every weekend socializing with friends. When Bridget spent the Fall 2012 semester in London the two realized just how much their relationship meant to each other; they would constantly be checking in on each other and would joke about meeting up in Paris on the weekends. When Bridget returned to Boston for the following Spring semester, Chris was there to greet her at the terminal. As soon as Chris saw her come down the escalator he knew things would be different moving forward. The two began dating that Spring and spent as much time together as they could, exploring Boston on one of their many "Sunset Days" and living up the Mod life with all their friends. After graduation, Chris spent a year in England earning his Master's while Bridget began her career in Chicago. Once Chris returned stateside, he moved to Chicago, right down the street from Bridget's apartment. Since then, they have spent ample time at Dryhop and other neighborhood favorites and traveling whenever they have the opportunity.

With Bridget starting business school at the University of Michigan in August 2019 Chris knew he wanted a memorable send-off for her. Chris would help Bridget move to Ann Arbor the day they return from the Knoth family vacation on Martha's Vineyard at the end of July so Chris knew he wanted to surprise Bridget before the move. He started the search for a ring without Bridget's knowledge but knew how important it would be to include her father in the process. With the two spending as much of Bridget's time left in Chicago together, it was even more difficult for Chris to plan a surprise. Chris was coaching hockey at the same time and came up with an elaborate ruse to convince Bridget he would be going down to Springfield for an all-day coaching clinic on July 10, 2019. Instead, he hopped on a 6 am flight to Minneapolis, met Bridget's father, Steve, for lunch at the FireLake Grill House in downtown Minneapolis, and expressed his intentions to marry Steve's daughter, before returning back to Chicago that same night. What some of you might not know about Chris is that he is not always the best at keeping surprises, but up to this point he has kept his lips sealed around Bridget. However, once he picked up the ring on July 24 he felt it burning a hole in his pocket. The next day was Bridget's last in Chicago, which proved to be a bittersweet goodbye to her home for the past 5 years. They had packed most of Bridget's things in the car, still with boxes to go in Chris' apartment, and Bridget became overwhelmed with emotions. Unable to keep it a surprise any longer, Chris came clean about the "coaching clinic," pulled the ring out, got on one knee, and is pretty sure she said yes through the emotions released. After calling friends and family, they celebrated over sushi and champagne.