Almost 5,000 days ago… Haley and Mike met in high school, when Haley was a senior and Mike was a sophomore. At a homecoming dance that they both attended with friends, they met in the Commons of Dewitt High School (which doubled as a dance floor that night) where they coincidentally matched in a hot pink tie and dress sash. Two days after nearly being asked to leave the dance for out-of-hand boogie-ing, Haley slid into Mike’s Facebook messages with a “hey cutieee :)”. After a week’s worth of adorable but also cringe-worthy exchanges, Mike let Haley know that he was “in a situation” where he went to text her only to realize he didn’t have her number, so she rectified the situation and shared the digits. The rest is history!

Haley and Mike went down to Marco Island, Florida for a mini-vacation getaway. Haley had some time off work, so it made sense when Mike suggested they take the trip. Little did she know, he had previously asked her parents for their blessing and showed them and his own parents the ring. On Friday night after enjoying some time at the pool, they got ready for a nice dinner and headed out to the beach to watch the sunset before walking to the restaurant. The setting was perfect: a vibrant orange sky as the sun lowered to meet the ocean over miles and miles of white sand beach. Haley and Mike took pictures in front of the sunset - him nervous and planning his next move, her unknowing but blissfully happy - and then it was time. He pulled a ring box from his pocket and got down on one knee as she dropped all her belongings in the sand and cried (a lot of) tears of joy. Haley also couldn’t help but exclaiming “is this for real?!” a few times and Mike confirmed that indeed, it was. She (of course!) said yes and they walked to a beautiful Italian restaurant overlooking the water where rose petals covered the table, sipping champagne, eating exquisite food, and soaking in what just happened and what was yet to come.