Picture this: it’s their first year of medical school, Halloween time. Alexandra was on her way to a party in the Cumberland Gap but was uncharacteristically late - fate was already on her side. By the time she arrived, everyone had already moved on to a local bar. In her confusion, she ended up wandering into Matt’s apartment, which he shared with his roommate Phil. They got to chatting and he decided to forgo the party, instead staying to chat with her and cooking Ramen noodles, a student staple. And while they immediately found that spark, they didn’t truly connect until Matt became Alexandra’s TA for her anatomy class. Once he realized he was spending all his time at her table, he knew had to learn more and he invited her on a date in Knoxville. First, there would be drinks at a local speakeasy, The Peter Kern Library, followed by dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Going to Knoxville meant over an hour of driving but the miles quickly slipped away as they chatted and laughed. In fact, they were so immediately in sync that when Alexandra mentioned being hungry, Matt quickly pulled over for chicken nuggets.

As you can imagine, the first date was unlike anything the two had ever experienced before. They immediately clicked and never looked back. Several years later, Matt was ready to propose. He decided to go right back to the beginning, to the speakeasy in Knoxville where they had started their first date. He surprised Alexandra by renting out the whole space, arrange for a 4 course meal with matching drinks to be brought to their private table. Matt got down on one knee and asked that life-changing question and well, you can guess what Alexandra said!