The pandemic caused so much chaos and confusion, but it also allowed a love story worthy of a Hallmark movie to flourish. After virtual graduations, Kelly and Carlton put down roots just 28 miles apart in the Atlanta metro. One summer afternoon, Carlton’s sister found a rug she loved on Facebook Marketplace and enlisted the help of her younger brother to pick it up. Kelly was on the other side of the door when he knocked. She couldn’t get the handsome stranger out of her head, so nearly a week after they met, she decided to do something about it. Kelly used the Venmo username from the rug purchase to track Carlton down and Venmo him a penny… and her number. 650 days later, they were engaged.

Carlton did the impossible to lock down Kelly: coordinate the schedules of two different families in 3 different states, while keeping her completely in the dark. He picked out a spot along the Beltline in Atlanta and enlisted the help of his mom to make it beautiful. Carlton spent the week turning off his phone location and taking Kelly on distraction dates so she stayed in the dark. He took her to dinner along the Beltline in Atlanta, before taking a stroll in the spring air. Meanwhile, both of their families were camped out for a surprise engagement party, with a full view of the proposal site. Carlton dropped to one knee and poured out his heart, and Kelly couldn’t say yes fast enough.