we're getting married!

Dan and Alex's love story began the modern way—on Hinge! She had a playful prompt about tennis and beer; he showcased a few silly pictures and promises of charcuterie. After bonding over their mutual disappointment in their respective NFL teams, Dan asked Alex out to dinner but casually dropped a bombshell: “I’d love to take you out sometime, but I’m in Poland right now.” Alex decided to take Dan up on his raincheck dinner date and to keep in touch with Dan during his time abroad, despite the unknown timeline of when they'd meet. Days after returning to North Carolina, Dan made plans to take Alex on the date he promised a month prior. They met at the charming Italian restaurant called Caffé Luna in downtown Raleigh. Dan arrived first, waiting patiently. There’s still a debate over whether he stood up when she arrived (she says no, he swears he did), but Alex was quickly smitten by the sweet and handsome man before her. The evening was a success, leading to daily phone calls, and weekly visits between Raleigh and Fayetteville that Autumn. From trips to the Outer Banks to NC State Football games and every adventure in between, Dan and Alex had quickly fallen in love, ready to take on life together.

Despite being halfway across the world, Dan had been planning the big surprise on August 22nd long before then. For months, Dan had been working with the jeweler to make sure he had the perfect ring, conspiring with Alex's bestfriend to make sure he had every detail correct. After booking the photographer and receiving her parents blessing, everything was just about ready to go. Dan was visiting Alex in Raleigh for his post-deployment leave, ready to pop the question. Dan insisted on driving Alex to work that day, ensuring the day would go to plan, with promises of a casual dinner after work. After dropping Alex off at work, she gave him a kiss, and a "honey do" list expecting it to be a normal Thursday for Dan. Little did she know, Dan was off to make sure everything was set for the big evening. He bolted off to get the ring, check the Capitol one last time, determining the exact spot he would get down, all the while taking the dog out, stopping at Target, and doing everything else Alex had asked to maintain normalcy. He picked her up from work, drove her to downtown Raleigh for "dinner" and took a quick detour to the State Capitol. While walking through the Capital park, he quickly popped down, got the words out "Alex, will you marry me?" and she gave a big "EEEEEEE" (and subsequently a yes). Full of love, they took a walk to dinner at Caffé Luna, where they had their first date. That is when Alex got her second surprise of the night, a dinner with both their families to celebrate their love.