Bri and Matt attended high school together at High Point, and even had one class together during Bri's senior year and Matt's junior year. Though they never talked to each other in school, Matt distinctly remembers Bri owning their teacher who was a huge Giants fan with her knowledge of the Dallas Cowboys. He called her a bandwagon fan for wearing a Cowboys jersey, assuming she didn't actually watch the game, and started grilling her about her team. She knew every single answer and he never bothered her about it again. Considering Bri didn't talk much in the class of almost all guys, this was apparently a memorable moment. Fast forward several years, and Bri and Matt connected online. After texting for a while, a Harry Potter marathon on Freeform got them to finally meet in person. While both feeling nervous and awkward, they hit it off right away and had a blast hanging out, watching Harry Potter and eating pizza. After that, their first official date was to see Zootopia at the Middletown Mall, preceded by dinner at Ruby Tuesday. They had time to kill between dinner and the movie, so they walked around Target and discovered Disney Tsum Tsums, these tiny, squatty little plush versions of Disney characters. Tsum Tsums became an integral part of their relationship, and they often gifted them to each other. They've amassed quite a large collection of them now! A few days after the movie, they went to Wood Duck Trail in Wantage. They walked the trail and sat on a bench, and made up a story about wood ducks and cattails, making them laugh uncontrollably. It was after this that Matt asked Bri to be his girlfriend, and the rest, as they say, is history.

After four and a half years, Matt finally popped the question. In order to tell this story, some background information is needed. First, Matt and Bri have done the Green Mountain Adventure Challenge each summer in Vermont. It involves cryptic clues, codes, and hikes to solve each summer's mystery. It's maddeningly difficult, but so much fun. Second, on Christmas in 2019, Matt gave Bri her Silhouette Cameo (a crafting machine). It was a big gift, so Matt thought he would make it a little more fun and make her work for it. She had to collect and solve clues around the house before finding the last clue and gift. Each clue was written in rhyme, and the last clue said Bri needed to keep the clues until Matt "decided to rhyme again." Fast forward to September 19, 2020. An ordinary Saturday, Bri was making plans for the day when she walked into their bedroom and saw a piece of paper on her end table. A scavenger hunt had begun. Initially frazzled (she was wearing Rugrats Halloween pajamas and this could NOT happen in that outfit), she began searching for the next clue. The first clues were hidden around the house. One of the clues eventually led Bri (with Matt) to High Point State Park, where she had to find a plaque on the monument and plug the numbers in to a math equation (very GMAC-style). This led to new numbers, and she had to crack the code that made the numbers letters, eventually spelling "ice cream." They went to Dairy Swirl for ice cream and a clue, and eventually back home. The last clue at home took them to Wood Duck Trail and required Bri to bring the clues from Christmas. On the trail, they sat in the same spot they sat in way back in the beginning. Bri received the final clue, which required her to put the first letter of each clue (starting with the Christmas clues) in order, spelling out "Will you marry me, Brianne?" By the time she had finished with the clues, Matt was on his knee in front of her. It was about damn time.