We're so excited to celebrate with you!

We met in the most millennial way that we possibly could have. Kristen saw Austin on Tinder, and, after looking at his Instagram (and liking a picture...), she swiped right. He hadn't seen her on Tinder yet, but saw the liked photo and slid into her DMs (that means he direct messaged her, Grandma). We exchanged some flirty messages, before Austin asked for Kristen's number. He shot her a text saying that he had never been to Sesquicentennial State Park...obviously insinuating he wanted to go with her (she thought...), but when she responded saying that they should check it out, he never wrote back. The following week, a friend (shoutout to Megan Rife) asked Kristen what happened to that swaggy guy from Instagram and encouraged her to reach out again. She sent another message that night, saying that if he could take a break from all of the egg hunts she was sure he had scheduled for the next day (Easter), that she would love to check out Sesqui with him. He quickly wrote back and said he'd love to! (Turns out he had an old, very glitchy, Samsung phone and never got the first text!!! -- not that we are condoning double texting) Anyways, we went on a hike with Frazier (Austin's pup), and Scout (a dog he was fostering), and totally hit it off. We had so much to talk about, and had another hang out planned before leaving the park! We both can honestly say it was our best first date. I guess the old verbiage IS true...when you know, you know.

Austin here! To start, the engagement was what I planned in my head from the start, but it almost didn't happen that way. In an attempt to save money, I planned on proposing to Kristen during our time at Denali National Park. I imagined mimosas while enjoying a beautiful sunrise shedding light onto Denali. What I failed to remember was that not only is sunrise in Alaska less dramatic in summer, but also just how difficult it is to actually see Denali due to it affecting nearby weather patterns. In fact, something like only 30% of people who visit actually sees the peak of the mountain. So, after panicking I decided that money was no object and committed to the original plan of taking a scenic flight tour and then proposing on a glacier. If you are picturing magnificent views and a once in a lifetime opportunity, good because you would be spot on. The flight itself acted as the perfect buildup to a memory that will last forever. We hiked up a short way to get a better look at the scenery and that was where I knelt down to propose and told Kristen how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with her. To top it all off, we brought sleds up with us so Kristen got to experience sledding for the first time! When we got back to the plane, the bottle of champagne that we got for mimosas was waiting for us chilling in the ice. It was truly an exceptional experience that represents a love we will share forever.