Most people think Zach and Calli met through work. Not quite. Zach and Greg (one of Calli's brothers) share a mutual friend, Anthony. One night, Anthony invited Greg and Zach to a concert. Months later, Zach and Calli met at an inner-company kickball game ("Oh, you're Zach"). Zach and Calli met again at 41st Street Pub. Zach was there with Anthony and Greg. Calli was with Lauren Nolan. After Lauren left, Calli went to talk to Zach. They instantly clicked. Zach decided a Super Bowl party at Anthony's was the perfect time to make his move. He sent Calli a Facebook message, asking if she was attending. Calli didn't get the message. She was at Robert Clay's Super Bowl party. The next day, she replied and gave Zach her phone number. That weekend, Zach and Calli went to a karaoke birthday party, brunch at Rojo, art galleries downtown, and a Mutemath concert. After numerous concerts (Sun Ra, Ja Rule), a visit to the Atlanta Zoo, and spending time at local breweries, it became clear that these two weirdos were perfect for each other.

Zach and Calli decided to have a nice dinner. Zach made reservations at Habitat at Grand Bohemian and planned a walk around the Birmingham Botanical Gardens before dinner, followed by their favorite chocolate chip cookies from Church Street Coffee & Books. The perfect night! What Calli Didn't Know: Zach had been planning a proposal for months. He had a ring. He had a photographer and locations mapped out at the gardens. He had gone to Georgia to visit Calli's parents and drove back in the same day (10+ hours of driving). He even ordered a special, wooden ring box from Australia to discreetly hold the ring until the right moment. What Happened: Calli tried to cancel dinner. She had tickets to an Alabama Symphony Orchestra performance. "Zach would love this!", she thought. When Zach said he'd rather do dinner, Calli was baffled. She called her Mom to express her disbelief. After the conversation, Wanda giddily texted Zach, "She has no idea!" The night of the dinner reservation, Calli was tired from a long week - not in the mood to go out. She begrudgingly got dressed. Zach arrived in a sports coat. It was clear Calli needed to change clothes. Not helping her mood or Zach's timeline of events. Finally, Calli was ready. "I don't want to go for a walk," she says. Zach insists. "I really don't want to walk in these shoes, let's just go to dinner, she says." Zach insists. Calli becomes suspicious. The evening looks proposal'y, but she doesn't think Zach could have planned a surprise proposal without her knowledge. Someone must be have planned a surprise visit to see her, she thinks. As they get close to the gardens, Zach confesses: "I didn't go to work Wednesday. I drove to see your parents." They get out of the car and walk into the rose garden - not Zach's planned location, but still a perfect spot to propose. So he got down on one knee and opened the wooden ring box. After calling family and friends, they made it to dinner and got chocolate chip cookies.