Aimee and Zach met in the new-old-fashioned way – on a website called Hinge. The young couple arranged for ice cream at the Graeter’s Shop on Bethel Road. Aimee ordered the mango sorbet and Zach indulged in a chocolate milkshake. The first half of the date was so sweet they moved on to the Dublin AMC Movie Theatre for more. The couple watched a forgettable horror film called The Quiet Place Part 2; but the attraction was undeniable. Zach shyly raised the armrest between the two seats to signal his interest. The summer romance was launched. The courtship consisted of simple pleasures – runs and walks through local parks, picnics around town, boating adventures on Indian Lake, game nights with cousins and friends and visits to the Hocking Hills region in southern Ohio. Zach wooed Aimee tenderly with gifts created by his own hands – a painting of a starry night on Indian Lake and a velvet-lined wooden jewelry box (and a promise one day to fill it with finery). A flattered and sensitive Aimee couldn’t help but fall for his gentle charms. As the years passed into 2022 and 2023 other memorable events included a family house boat on Lake Cumberland and trips to Las Vegas and Monterey Bay. Attendance at the fall Renaissance Festival was an annual must. At the close of 2023, the inevitable question loomed . . .

After seeking Aimee’s parents' blessing, Zach began planning the perfect Christmas-themed day that would culminate in the perfect marriage proposal. The sweethearts began that Friday at their favorite breakfast spot, Scramblers. Next, they took a winter’s walk at a local park called Hilliard Station. From there they returned home to warm up, bake Christmas cookies and watch the holiday-favorite Home Alone. As evening fell, they headed out for a meal at the cozy, quaint German Village eatery called Schmidt’s. To cap off the night, Zach drove Aimee through a delightful holiday light display. (Meanwhile, Zach had his brother Nick and cousin Emily working on a special surprise: they had bedecked the couple’s living room in white fairy lights. All of Zach’s plans were perfectly in place . . . ) Once the couple arrived home to this enchanted backdrop, Zach dropped to his knee and asked Aimee to be his forever. And of course, Aimee said Yes!