‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!

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At The Red Lion, a local establishment at the University of Illinois, Alec and Sam met for the first time. This sparked some bucket list adventures to cap off their senior year, and eventually a few dates when they moved to Chicago after graduation. Once they both started their busy first jobs, they went their separate ways. For now...

Years later, unbeknownst to each other, Sam and Alec were invited on an alumni bus to Champaign to attend an Illinois basketball game. Sam's friend Nathalie saw Alec walk on and said to Sam "Don't freak out, but Alec Coleman is on this bus". When Sam stepped onto the bus, Alec was shocked to see her, and in order to break the ice he shouted "Sam Smith!" Thanks to Alec's ~smooth~ move, they chatted on that trip, which led to first date 2.0, and eventually an amazing relationship.

Alec told Sam he had a surprise date night planned for their three-year anniversary. He took her to Gilt Bar, the site of their first date 2.0 in 2020. The hostess led them to The Library, the speakeasy in the basement of the restaurant, which also happened to be the site of their first date 1.0 in 2017. In a building that holds many great memories for both of them, Alec and Sam got engaged! After a few moments of pictures and champagne, Sam was further surprised when the Smith and Coleman families arrived to offer their congratulations and join them for a celebratory dinner. After dinner, as one last surprise, Alec took Sam to a downtown bar where all their closest friends were gathered to celebrate the happy couple!