There's an old cliché that says true love starts with friendship. While we tend to avoid clichés, this is one we subscribe to with vigor, and one that perfectly sums up our story so far. In December of 2016, we were both attending Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. We happened across one another like many young people our age often do: by swiping right on Tinder. A few days later, we met in-person at our first date on campus–where we studied and did homework–before wrapping the evening with half off appetizers at Applebee's. We hung out often as friends over the next several months, downing even more half-off spinach dip and pub pretzels, before Paige decided to make a huge leap of faith and move 1,000 miles away to Texas for a better job. For awhile, our relationship was up in the air. Neither of us knew quite what we wanted or needed out of life. But as fate would have it, Alex visited Texas for Spring Break in 2018, where we quickly rediscovered our admiration and adoration for one another. There was a moment that week where we realized what we had was too good to pass up. Against all odds, we dated one another long distance for four months until Alex packed up his life in Michigan and moved to Texas too. Saying we've been inseparable ever since is an understatement. We are the best of friends. Alex is patient, determined and strong, while Paige is more fiery, independent and passionate. Our differences allow us to fit together like the puzzle we couldn't see that we were a part of when we first met. But now that it's together, it makes perfect sense. Beneath what makes us different is a bit of humor, a lot of love, and so much respect for each other. We've had quite the run so far, and cannot wait to begin this next chapter of our lives, alongside loved ones and our spoiled and very much loved cats – Grizzly, Koda, Smokey, and Yogi.

On Friday, September 24th, Alex told me to take the afternoon off of work for a surprise he was planning. We hopped in the car and drove an hour and a half to Kemah Boardwalk, where we shared one of our very first dates in Texas together. As the sun was just about to set, and the sky was lit up in shades of blues, purples, pinks and oranges, the boardwalk organs played overhead as Alex got down on one knee. He talked about that first trip there—how we took photos in a photobooth and fed stingrays at the aquarium, how long yet short ago that day felt, and how even though we were both unsure of the future, we were so sure about each other, even then. Then he pulled out the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen and asked me to be his wife. When I said yes, people on nearby benchs and rides clapped, and a sweet stranger captured it all on video. After the proposal, we boarded a dinner cruise on the gulf, where a dozen roses, a personalized cake and a bottle of wine were waiting for us. It was a perfect night, in the perfect place, with the most perfect person.