Lillian and I met when I was a sophomore in college at Emporia State, which was early on in her freshman year. Her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, has an annual event in which members of the organization arrange dates for the other members. In other words- I met Lillian on a blind date. We went to what would become our favorite Mexican restaurant with our friends Luke and Paige to start the night, and then went to the bowling alley. I knew there was something special with her that night, but we wouldn’t make it official until November of 2014. Since then, we’ve been to 15 states from Washington to Florida, bought our first house and started our careers. I wouldn’t want to do life with anyone else. -Jared

Lillian and I took a trip to Washington DC in 2017, and it was on that trip I realized she was the one I wanted to marry. We were taking a photo at the Jefferson Memorial, and when I asked a random tourist to help with our photos, I realized then that I only wanted Lillian by my side when we took them. When we went back to DC in 2019 to celebrate Lillian’s graduation from American University with her Master’s degree, I knew exactly how I wanted to ask her. I wanted to recreate that photo we took at the Jefferson Memorial, as that picture meant a lot to both of us! Over the course of several months, and significant help from family and friends, I proposed to Lillian on December 14, 2019. The only downfall of wanting to marry someone smarter than you, is she knew how it would happen :) We’ve been thankful for the nearly two-year engagement, but we’re even more thankful for those who will celebrate with us on our special day! -Jared