We're Getting Married!

Tyge's brother, Gap, was getting married to Alina's friend, Connie. Tyge caught Alina's eye at the rehearsal dinner when he gave a brief speech. She was impressed by his public speaking skills. The next day at the wedding, Alina made plans with some friends to introduce herself. With the help of some liquid courage, she approached him at the reception. She didn't think the first pass went very well, so she went back for a second attempt. This time, she made sure that he didn't leave without her number. They conversed some more occasionally throughout the night and even shared a dance or two. The next day Tyge's family was taking advantage of everyone being in one place and gathering to celebrate Grammy Bird's 90th birthday. Again with the help of some liquid courage, Tyge sent her the first text of the relationship. He boldly announced himself by starting the message with "This is Tyge". They proceeded to make plans for a first date.

Plans were set for dinner at Empire State South. Tyge failed to make reservations, and the restaurant proved to be quite busy that Tuesday evening. Luckily, there were two seats at the bar. Alina ordered a fancy cocktail that she didn't particularly want. She did not want Tyge to know that what she really wanted was a light beer served at room temperature. When Tyge ordered a beer served in a can, it came with a free koozie. With the additional temptation of free koozies, Alina could no longer pretend that beer wasn't her drink of choice. She ordered beers with Tyge the rest of the night, and they still have those koozies today. The date went well, and they discussed plans for a second date. When they were getting ready to part ways, Tyge thought the night had gone well enough to end with a kiss. He was wrong. Alina was going to make him work harder than one good date. They met in Decatur for dinner at Leon's for the second date. As that date progressed, Tyge decided that he was going to make his move before the end of the night. He walked her to her car after, and she offered to give him a ride to his. When she pulled up to his car, she went to give him a hug. Tyge went for the kiss. They have been inseparable ever since. They return to Empire State South every year for their anniversary, mostly to get more free koozies. After the proposal, they realized that October 20th fell on a Saturday in 2018. This years anniversary will be spent getting married. They are both excited that they won't have to remember multiple anniversary dates in the future.

Tyge ordered the ring from the family store in July of 2017. He reached out to her parents to get their blessing soon after. He wasn't sure when, where, or how he would pop the question, but he knew he wanted to do it before Alina's mom visited the weekend after Labor Day. The ring arrived the Thursday before Labor Day. Alina and Tyge had been discussing options for a last minute trip over the holiday weekend. The same day the ring arrived, Alina stumbled across a one night deal for Lake Lanier Islands that coming Sunday. Using his best poker face, Tyge told her that was a great idea. The stars had aligned, and he began to put together something that slightly resembled a proposal plan. As they packed their bags Sunday morning, Tyge was struggling to find a specific pair of shorts. These shorts had a small pocket in the front that was perfect for hiding a ring. Tyge asked Alina to help him find them without telling her why it was so important that he find that specific pair. She thought he was being weird but didn't think anything of it. They spent the day riding around the resort in a golf cart and enjoying the lake. As they prepared for dinner that evening, they discussed which of the resort restaurants to go to. They looked at menus to make their decision, but Tyge was secretly scouting for the best location for a proposal. They picked what Tyge considered the nicer restaurant and had dinner on the outdoor patio. Tyge went to the restroom during the meal in hopes of finding their waiter to give him a heads up on the situation. He did not find him, and he proceeded with his plans without warning. Towards the end of the meal he asked the waiter to take a picture of them, which Alina also thought was weird. Asking for pictures is normally her job. As they positioned themselves for the picture, Tyge dropped to one knee and popped the question. Full of smiles and tears of joy, she said yes.