A tale as old as time - two people swiped right! Jonathan and I matched on Bumble, where I was drawn to his adorable dog, Chance, and made an embarrassing opening line about liking fowling. We chatted for a few weeks before he asked me if I wanted to meet for a date. It was still the height of the pandemic - so he had wanted to make sure we both felt safe and comfortable. Coincidentally that same week, one of my best friends, Elizabeth, had been convincing me that we should do the viral TikTok first-date double-date. She had seen a TikTok where girls plan first dates at the same time and the same place so that they can get ready and drive there together and feel safer and relaxed. She had just matched with Lucas and was so excited to go on a date with him. To admit it, I was hesitant to ask Jonathan to join this because I felt it was a cute gimmicky thing that I didn't want to risk with him since I thought he and I may have something serious. Ultimately though, I invited him to join me on this silly, TikTok double date. The plan was that each couple would do dinner individually, and then we would meet up for drinks after, and the rest is history! One of the most magical parts of this story is that Elizabeth and Lucas are now engaged as well and getting married a few months before us in September! Jonathan and I met for dinner, and for the first and only time in our relationship, I arrived early (because Elizabeth drove me, figures) so I arrived before him. I placed our name on the waitlist and when I stepped outside the restaurant to see him standing there waiting for me I was immediately smitten. While we waited for our table, we wandered over to a nearby bar and when the waiter took our order, I was so nervous that I accidentally ordered a "tall" beer. You can imagine my embarrassment when they brought me a full stein while Jonathan only had a small cider snifter. Despite these silly nerves, we immediately connected and knew it was the start of something special. Throughout the next few months, the pandemic heightened again so we had to plan creative date nights at home and outdoors. We enjoyed long walks through our favorite parks with our dog Chance, make-your-own pizza nights, and Jonathan taught me how to ski! In January, we went to Boyne Highlands and it was on this ski trip that I realized how in love I was with Jonathan. Despite my VERY bad skiing, he was so patient and gentle with me. His encouragement and support made me feel so loved and it was there that I saw how wonderful of a partner he would be to me. Two and a half years later, we feel lucky our relationship is grounded in faith and friendship. We feel so blessed to have found each other, and can't wait to continue our love story now as a married couple.

Technology can be a wonderful tool - but it can make keeping a secret tough! With texts appearing on my watch, laptop, even Apple Car Play, planning the proposal was tricky. When Megan went on a backpacking trip, I knew it was my opportunity to get the planning done. I spent a Sunday making phone calls. Calls #1 & 2 - To my parents and sister: They were so incredibly excited, supportive, and made plans to join us in Houghton Lake to celebrate the proposal with Megan’s family there as well. Call #3- To Alyssa, Megan’s sister: I always knew I wanted Chance involved in the proposal. I had a vision of him in a doggie tuxedo surprising Megan with the ring in his pocket. So I called Alyssa as my plan heavily relied on her agreeing to watch Chance and bring him to Traverse City. I knew it was a big ask, so I brainstormed ways to try and make it easier (buying a hotel room, arranging transportation, etc.) Alyssa immediately said, "Don't worry about anything, tell me when and where and I'll be there". Her willing response was so loving and generous! Calls #4 & #5: Finally, I called Megan’s parents to ask them for their blessing to propose. When I asked her mom, Kelly, I heard Joe, her husband, cheering in the background and Kelly immediately began planning a family engagement party. I had to interrupt her to hear a formal "yes, you have our blessing to marry Megan, she has been a happier and better person since meeting you". When I called Scott, Megan’s Dad, he and his wife, Angie, were excited and immediately said yes and shared how much I've meant to Megan and their family. I informed everyone to be careful to keep the surprise. If they called or texted me, the code word, “Chance’s Paw” meant it was safe to talk about the proposal. In 2021, I planned a surprise trip to Niagara Falls. I used this as the perfect rationale to plan a surprise proposal weekend and told her I wanted to plan surprise trips like that often. When the weekend finally arrived, she had no idea what I had planned. I hid clues and puzzles throughout the car as a fun way of telling her that we were going to Traverse City for the weekend. In these clues, I even photoshopped a fake ring shopping appointment reservation! We spent Saturday enjoying the wineries of Old Mission Peninsula. I knew Megan had visited these before, so I told her that to make it special for us, I had booked a special tasting and tour at Brys Estate but we could go whichever other wineries she wanted before then. We enjoyed a glass of wine at Bonobo and at Bower’s Harbor. About twenty minutes before I planned to propose, Megan suggested we play giant jenga at Bower’s Harbor. I thought to myself, "Megan will appreciate how steady my hands are when I'm nervous" as I removed each block. When we arrived at Brys Estate, I turned right - despite the road signs telling us the winery was to the left. I assured her that our tasting was in a gazebo in the Secret Garden. As we walked to the gazebo, there was a table with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine that said “I love you, Megan”. When we walked into the gazebo, I then called “Albert Tang - this was a secret contact I’d made for Alyssa - and I said, “I need to ask Megan a question, but I need some help!” With this, Chance came running around the corner in his tux with Alyssa. When Chance arrived, I knelt and got the ring out of his tuxedo, and I asked Megan to marry me. It was my dream come true- to ask Megan to be with me forever. Alyssa even surprised me by bringing Megan’s childhood friend, Jessie, who is a photographer and captured beautiful photos of the day. Shortly after Megan said yes, their amazing staff brought out a bottle of wine that said, “She Said Yes!”. We then had a great dinner where I told Megan all of the secret planning that had happened all summer. We celebrated the next day with a beautiful party with all of our families in Houghton Lake.