We first crossed paths at Westside Yoga, a local yoga studio in Atlanta. Ariel was the teacher, Nathan was the student. We knew each other casually, and were sometimes in the same yoga class. Leave it to modern technology to facilitate the rest.

Ariel had an idea a proposal might happen in the Fall of 2019, so Nathan worked hard to keep everything a secret. He didn't want to do anything super public since he mostly hates being the center of attention. He also wanted to include their dogs, since they're so special to them. On the evening it happened, he told her there was a work dinner scheduled to keep the night open. As fate would have it, Ariel was ready early. Nathan had to switch gears fast! He asked her to go to the back bedroom because he had a surprise. Nathan got the dogs ready. Sonny wore a sign that said “Hey Mom..." and Hank would wore a sign that said "...Will you marry dad?" Nathan rehearsed this drill once before while Ariel was out running errands. This proved to be a mistake. Hank knew what was happening and took off running. Nathan was able to wrangle Hank and put him into position. With the dogs, the signs, the GoPro, and most importantly, the ring ready to go, he asked Ariel to come out. Hank thought it would be a great idea to lay down on the sign. She cannot read it, and can only see Sonny's that says "Hey Mom..." Naturally, she is very confused. It didn't help that Nathan's handwriting was poor. She finally read it, and Nathan took a knee. Ariel's response: "What does that say? Wait..is this a drill?" He responded no, this in fact was not a drill but the real deal. She said yes! Once they let the moment sink in, she realized they were supposed to be going to a work dinner for Nathan's job. She asked if that were still the case, and of course, it were not. One last surprise was in store for Ariel, however. They wanted to enjoy the moment themselves before contacting family and friends, and have a nice dinner where they had their first date. They arrived at the spot of their first date, Madre+Mason. Unbeknownst to her, he had arranged for both of their families to be there when they walked in. It was a wonderful night and one we'll never forget!