We can't wait to celebrate our marriage with all of you this October.

On a random day in July, Mark sent a message to Brooke though instagram just casually asking how she was doing. Right beforehand, Brooke liked a post Mark had posted that appeared her timeline. They had never met beforehand or knew of each other but somehow were both following each other on instagram. Weeks passed with just the usual back and forth conversations through text when Mark finally asked Brooke to video chat. The first time they faceted, they were on the phone for 3 hours without running out of anything to say. After that, they made time every day to talk to each other, even with an 8 hour time difference. They grew their relationship within the passing months and were finally ready to meet in person. When UK finally opened its borders for visitors, Brooke decided to fly across the world to meet Mark in person December of 2020. But to her luck, she got covid mid trip and ended up staying for three months, which was a blessing in disguise. During these three months, Mark and Brooke built a strong relationship. UK was on lockdown so there was not a lot to do. The time spent together consisted of many walks, game nights, days at the beach, fires with the family, baking and cooking new recipes in the kitchen (well Mark cooking and Brooke trying to not catch the house on fire) and coffee dates. Since then, they take turns flying back and forth to visit each other. They keep their relationship strong through video chats, phone calls, texts, and occasionally ordering each other surprises to their houses to let them know they are still thinking of each other.

When Mark visited America, one of their favorite things to do was to go to the river and feed the ducks, and of course allow Mark to fish for a minute. This was a common date they did often to spend time together, away from their phones. October 29th, 2022, Mark planned a date for Brooke when she got off work and to spend one of their final nights together before Mark had to head back. Mark made dinner reservations and went to the store to buy lettuce and set up a date to go feed the ducks. They fed the ducks and walked along the river for a while. Mark set his phone down to "get a picture of them" at the river but he actually got down on one knee and proposed to Brooke at one of their favorite spots.