We said “I do” on 4/4/25!

It was the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and both Alex and Cole were feeling the effects of being cooped up inside. Cabin fever had officially set in, with their respective “PODs” mainly consisting of family and close friends. As 2021 began, Alex decided to dive back into the world of online dating and downloaded Hinge. Knowing all dates would be virtual; she took a laid-back, no-pressure approach, which Cole had also taken. In mid-January, a debate still rages about who swiped right first — Alex or Cole — but either way, they matched! Soon after, they set up a Zoom date (yes, Zoom, because who wanted to go on a date with a stranger who may have COVID?). The first date lasted over an hour. Afterward, Alex's sister, Gaby, who was living with her at the time, asked how it went, and Alex, in typical fashion, downplayed it, "I guess it was a good time." A few Zoom dates later, Alex and Cole decided to take the NEXT STEP — meeting IN PERSON for a walk. In the chilly February air, Cole met Alex in Roscoe Village. Alex sported a heavy black down puffer and a black mask, while Cole went the extra mile with double masks (because he’s responsible!). Despite the cold, they walked all the way to Lakeview and back to Roscoe. At the end of the date, Cole joked, “Maybe one day I’ll get to see your face,” to which Alex, in true hard-to-get fashion, responded, “Maybe” without removing her mask! Two weeks later, Alex and Cole decided it was time to take it a step further: to meet WITHOUT MASKS. Soon followed dinner at Cole’s place. Masks came off, pizzas were eaten, wine flowed, and the rest, as they say, is history. During the early months of their relationship, when the world was still very much in the grip of the pandemic, their dates consisted of long walks through their neighborhoods and the occasional trips to Jewel Osco and Target. In late April, when restaurants and other places started to reopen, Alex and Cole enjoyed their first proper date at a restaurant, followed by a visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory — the very place where Cole would later propose.♡