Upon returning to North Carolina after a year of traveling abroad, James was determined to celebrate his birthday despite not having made any plans. So he took his chances on the Bumble dating app and swiped right on Melissa. Who knew that asking out a complete stranger on his birthday would turn into meeting the love of his life. By the second date with Melissa, James was pretty sure that she was “the one” and ultimately never did end up moving to Austin like he initially planned.

James and Melissa traveled to Oregon on their first trip since the pandemic. They started in Portland exploring the city and rented a car, making pit stops along the way. They spent most of their time outdoors on hiking trails. On their way to Bend, James planned an early morning of kayaking on Trillium Lake. James rushed Melissa out the door so they would not be late meeting the kayak guy at the boat ramp. However, once they arrived, there was nobody in sight except a landscape photographer capturing the sunrise over the lake with Mt. Hood as the backdrop. James took out his iPhone to take pictures and Melissa did the same. As soon as she turned around, James was on bended knee ready to propose. Much to her surprise, it turned out the “landscape photographer” was in fact hired by James for their engagement.