“I mean this in the least creepy way possible, but I think I know where you live.” Every girl’s dream pickup line, right? And that’s where it all began! *Cue the fairytale sound effects* The couple would like to give a special shoutout to Riley Russell for jokingly coercing Ali into downloading Tinder on June 18, 2022. Which she deleted the very next day after matching with Alex. Dare we say... she just knew? Despite living across the hall from one another, they didn’t officially meet until about a month before moving out. But Alex had definitely noticed Ali before then — always in peak Ali fashion. The first time he ever saw her, she was cutting down a shrub outside her balcony with giant shears. Intrigued and hoping to meet the weird garden girl, Alex baked pumpkin bread and brought it over... but a roommate answered the door instead. Alex spotted her again over her 21st birthday weekend building a snowman with friends. That was the last time they saw each other before starting to date! The rest is history as they say! Fast forward 2.5 years, countless dates, adventures and pumpkin breads later... Alex surprised Ali on April 26, 2025 at Lake Johnson when he popped the question. The place where they had their first date, many sunset picnics, and long walks. Their “happy place.” Today, the couple resides in Durham, NC. Alex is an electrical engineer working on solving the world’s energy problems, and Ali works in marketing, fighting to grab the attention of the masses. Surrounded by good friends and a loving church community they’re planting roots in the Triangle!