It’s (finally) happening!

Homecoming. Harry’s. Classic. When a Sister in Song tells you to meet a guy, you meet the guy. Thankfully, Rachel Middleton, then Lane, had a wonderful fiancé with a pretty cute friend. A few hours at the Chocolate Shop will make you close with just about anybody, but this time felt a little different. Allie figured she’d never see the Bears fan again (and how would that ever work out anyways?!), but luckily, he had texted himself from her phone saying “I love Garth Brooks”. Which she does. From that night on, not a day passed without a text from one or the other. Weekend trips between Indy and Chicago quickly turned from short meet-ups to exclusive trips to see each other. And they thought maybe, just maybe, a Bears fan and a Packers fan could make it work...

Joe moved to Indianapolis in February of 2019, and after four years of long distance, they were excited to just be in the same time zone, let alone city! Visions of wedding bells danced in Allie’s head, but Joe’s (more realistic) timeline was waiting for a special moment to pop the prerequisite question. Independence Day has been a staple holiday for Allie’s family, seeing scores of people to celebrate at Klinger Lake each year. Allie hinted (loudly and often) that this would be such a meaningful place to officially start their lives together. While she thought her excellent suggestion was falling on deaf ears, Joe was scheming with family and friends to make one heck of a memory. Lots of suspicious little things were dismissed throughout the week by devious and sneaky accomplices to throw Allie off. Which they did. After a short, seemingly innocent and longer than anticipated golf cart ride, Allie returned to a silent and empty house. With over 70 people at the party, this strange feeling melting into understanding as Allie’s mom handed over a handful of tissues. As she turned the corner to face the lake, she saw Joe at the end of the pier, complete with flowers, lanterns, and a sign you could see from a mile away: “Marry Me?” Surrounded by family and friends, Allie calmly (face streaming with tears) walked down the pier towards the love of her life, silently reciting “don’t fall in the lake, don’t fall in the lake”. Beautiful words were exchanged, the question was asked, and the real party started. Special thanks to everyone in attendance for the 606 pictures and 12 live, full-length videos of this precious moment.