Ty and Colleen met in a spontaneous way: a blind date setup by 15+ of their closest friends while at a summer BBQ. The first date was set at the trendy Farm Club in Traverse City. Ty was waiting at a table in the outdoor gardens and the conversation was easy, engaging, and fun. They both left with a sense of curiosity to learn more about one another. The subsequent dates were spent enjoying their mutual love for outdoor activities in Northern Michigan – biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and exploring local wineries. They also discovered their shared desire for adventure and exploration and spent time traveling together to San Francisco, Manhattan Beach, Steamboat Springs, Guatemala, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Appalachian Mountains, Chicago, Germany, Austria and Slovakia. As everyone says…the rest is history!

Tyler proposed to Colleen on a trip through the Bavarian Alps in September 2022. They were hiking in a small town in Berchtesgaden National Park on Königssee Lake. After a short ferry ride across the lake to visit St. Bartholomew Church and enjoy a German lager (later termed as liquid courage), Tyler found the most beautiful stop off point along the lake the got down on one knee and propose. The Bavarian Alps scenery is reminiscent of a fairy tale – the beautiful mountainside castles, serene lakes at every turn of the winding roads, rolling green hills sprinkled with small cabins, and quaint villages with cobble stone roads. A idyllic setting for enjoying an espresso and a homemade chocolate treat. That day in September, in the land of fairytales, Colleen and Tyler were able to experience their own special fairytale moment as a newly engaged couple.