Clint and I met the modern way - through a dating app in 2021. (Being that I'm a city girl, and Clint is a country boy, we wouldn't have met any other way!) Though I was unsure at first when seeing Clint's profile, part of me knew this could be something special, so we matched. After a couple of days getting to know each other, Clint wanted to meet in person, but I was about to go on a week long vacation. While this could have been a bump in the road, little did we know this was a blessing in disguise. This delay in meeting face-to-face gave us the unique opportunity to connect solely on conversation, which gave us a strong foundation in our relationship that still supports us to this day. I didn't realize just how much conversation could happen through text in a week. We talked about everything, and I really felt like we got to know each other in a short amount of time. As crazy as it sounds, we both truly felt like we knew each other deeply before even meeting face to face. We had our first date right when we got back and the rest is history!

I remember the proposal just like it was yesterday! I was getting ready at my apartment for a fun girls night out with my best friend, Naomi. We booked a reservation at a fancy French restaurant, so it was the perfect excuse to get me all dolled up. She picked me up, and off we went. Dinner was fun, and it was a great evening catching up over delicious food and cocktails. Afterwards, we went back to her car, and I thought the night was over! Instead of taking me home, she drove the opposite way, and entered a street where I saw a beautiful pavilion at the end of it...(this is when I started to get suspicious!). I had a feeling that this could be "it," but I didn't want to read too much into it. Surely enough though, as Naomi got closer to the pavilion, I knew this was the moment I was waiting for. When she stopped, Naomi gave me a big smile and told me to get out of the car. When I got out, I noticed one of other best friends, Kassy, run out with her camera. As I approached the steps to the pavilion, I see Clint walking towards me with a bouquet of red roses and leading me inside where I saw a heart of flower petals laid out, marquee letters that said "Marry Me," and our favorite love song playing on the speaker. Then he got down on one knee and proposed! It was truly one of the greatest moments of my life, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Clint. - Lauren