Alyssa and Payne’s story technically started years ago during their college days when they lived in the same apartment complex. Alyssa always thought Payne was cute… but their real story didn’t begin until seven years later when Payne slid into Alyssa’s Instagram DMs like a true modern-day love story. Their first date confirmed what Alyssa already suspected..Payne was funny, charming, had great manners, and they had a lot in common. Alyssa later found out that Payne had driven an hour and a half just to pick her up for that first date, which definitely earned him some extra points. A few weeks later, after Alyssa dropped Payne off at the airport, he kissed her hand goodbye. In that moment, Alyssa had a feeling there was something really special about him… and that he might just be hers forever. Their relationship included about a year of long distance, which proved that a few miles (okay… a lot of miles) couldn’t get in the way of what they had. Today they live together with their two Australian shepherds, Juno and Ember, who keep life exciting and make sure there’s never a dull moment. When it came time to propose, Payne pulled off the ultimate surprise. With the help of Alyssa’s friends..who somehow managed to keep the secret for weeks..he picked her up from her friend’s coffee shop and took her to lunch on the water. Payne was so nervous he barely touched his food, which Alyssa now realizes was a pretty big clue. After lunch they went back to the coffee shop so Alyssa could “grab her car,” but instead she walked into the most beautiful surprise setup Payne had planned. After she said yes, they went inside to celebrate with champagne… where her friends popped out to join the celebration. Now they’re counting down the days until they get to celebrate the beginning of forever with all of you. Xoxo