We first met volunteering at the AZ Magic of Music and Dance Summer Camp in June 2012! We kept in touch through the remainder of high school and college, until our paths crossed again at the perfect time and went on our first date August 14, 2016. This first year of dating led us to getting our fur-baby, Whimsy, on July 26, 2017. Our love story grew from there! We have supported each other through so many seasons of life- nursing school, PA school, moving across the country, long distance, new jobs, building our first home, and so much more. We have been working towards this chapter in our life for a long time and we are so excited to share it with all of our favorite people!

Court's POV: Matt gave me the itinerary just before our trip where I told him I was most excited for our "Breakfast at the Eiffel Tower", among all the other things he had planned including museums and tours. On our first full day in Paris, we walk to where we are meeting the tour guide (8am sharp, Matt didn't want to look like Americans by getting there early) and there is no one around. I start questioning Matt if we are in the right place and where the people in our group are, when he randomly starts to tell me how much he loves me and has known forever we would spend our lives together. He gets down on one knee and asks those four words we all know. I proceed to freak out and say yes and then promptly ask "So there's no breakfast?". Turns out- there was no breakfast planned but there was a photographer who jumped out and we had the most fun time taking photos with him for the next hour. Then we spent the entire rest of the week newly engaged in Paris! A dream!

SHIT! IT'S RAINING????? I thought to myself as I got up from bed to make instant coffee. I poured water into the styrofoam cup and got the coffee pot ready. Knowing today was the long awaited day - the culmination of almost 6 years of dating, 10 years of friendship, and 6 whole months of lying straight to her face about my true plans for day. I knew she was on to me. Maybe it was my weird obsession with singing my own version of the folgers song "THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP IS WHIMSY IN YOUR CUP " or my obsession with making sure there was no wrinkles in my shirt for "brunch" the next day. Nevertheless, I made it this far without the engagement ring being lost, stolen, or my whole plan ruined at TSA checkpoints along the way. I awkwardly sang again... "THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP...." When I was interrupted by Courtney; "I can't wait for brunch, I have been looking forward to this alllll week long." I laughed it off and said "me too, eggs and sausage at the Eiffel Tower" - but knowing well that there was no breakfast planned. I had done what any other good boyfriend had done up until this point - lied to her about that whole day. And if I didn't feel dirty enough about that, I was texting the photographer behind her back like I had a secret mistress. Anyways, we left the hotel room, precisely on time, 7:25. That would put us there at 7:55. Except Courtney walks at the speed of sound, so I had to stall, making her take the most ridiculous pictures. At this point the rain stopped. I made us take the back way so she did not see the photographer. As we got closer my heart was beating so fast and the true nerves set in, I sang out - " THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP IS WHIMSY IN YOUR CUP." As we turned the corner and walked towards the engagement position, my phone vibrated. It was the photographer, stating that our original spot was a no go - they were setting up for an event and we had to find a new place. My heart dropped and I almost lost all control of my bowels. Luckily our photographer knew the area very well and changed positions so fast. Courtney asking me "Who are you texting" and me being the truthful boyfriend, told her "the travel guy?" We walked towards the spot, I made eye contact with the photographer and bent down on one knee. I basically forgot everything I was going to say, it was a bunch of word vomit but the moral of the story was "I love you, marry me... please, I can't keep this secret from you any longer." She said yes, and now we are here now! OH and then she said "so no brunch?" Thanks for reading this!! Can't wait to see you at the wedding!