Our Story
November 24, 2021
Where it all began
Like many modern love stories, ours started with a swipe right on Tinder. We quickly bonded over our shared love for Strava and the fact that we were both deep in our biking eras. Dom eventually asked Alise out and suggested Heartbreakers Pizza for our first date. Ironic, we know. The date was off to a memorable start when Alise pulled up and immediately faced her biggest challenge of the evening: parallel parking. Before even saying hello, she had to call Dom and ask him to park her car. Maybe that was the first green flag? Once inside, things only got better over a large Hawaiian pizza. After hours of chatting, neither of us was quite ready to call it a night, so Dom suggested heading back to his place near Mooney's Bay for some Mario Kart. Alise quickly discovered Dom's competitive side when he let her win a few rounds before showing his true skills. Eventually, Dom drove Alise back to her car, where we shared our first kiss. And the rest is history! Well, except for the part where Alise may have given Dom COVID a couple of dates later and nearly ruined his Christmas. But we don't need to get into that.
January 12, 2022
All the Adventures In Between
What started with pizza and Mario Kart turned into years of adventures, new experiences, and countless memories together. From ski trips in Banff to exploring Costa Rica, Vancouver Island, and Japan, we've always shared a love for travelling and trying new things. We've danced our way through music festivals thanks to our mutual love of EDM, joined volleyball and ultimate frisbee teams, gone on countless bike rides, and eaten our fair share of poutine. Of course, some of our favourite memories are the everyday ones: cooking new recipes together, hosting board game nights with friends, finding the best good/grocery deals, and planning Halloween costumes (Nick and Judy from Zootopia are still our favourites). We've also come to appreciate each other's very different interests, from Dom's obsession with cows and cars to Alise's love for fishing and puzzles. We may not always understand each other's interests, but we love that about each other. Whether we're halfway across the world or spending a quiet night at home, we've learned that pretty much anything is more fun together.
January 30, 2026
The Proposal
Our biggest adventure yet began when we packed up our lives and drove from Ottawa out west for eight months of travelling, skiing, exploring, and making memories along the way. One of those days brought us to Panorama Mountain Resort for a day of skiing. Little did Alise know, Dom had been planning something special. With a ring secretly tucked away in his sunglasses case, he spent the day taking different ski runs and scouting out the perfect proposal spot, all while trying to act completely normal. When Dom finally found the perfect spot, he suggested setting up our trusty tripod for some photos, something we'd done countless times throughout our travels. Except this time, he secretly hit record. With the mountains behind us, Dom got down on one knee and asked Alise to marry him. There were happy tears, lots of excitement, and of course, a very easy yes! We spent the evening celebrating at Radium Hot Springs followed by a nice dinner before continuing our travels, now as an engaged couple. Our eight months out west became one of the most memorable chapters of our relationship, and the West Coast, especially Vancouver, will always hold a special place in our hearts. A mountain kind of love, forever and always. 🤍