Like so many modern romances, Morgan and Zack met via a dating app in October 2014, shortly after Morgan moved to Austin with her friend Catherine (now a bridesmaid!). For their first date they met at Radio, a coffeehouse and beer garden, went through the haunted house at House of Torment, and ended the night with beers at Bangers Beer Garden. It wasn't smooth sailing at first with Zack starting a new business and Morgan applying to graduate programs outside of Texas, but they got it together and decided to fully commit to each other by April 2015.

Soon after Morgan and Zack began dating, Morgan was accepted into the UCLA/Getty Conservation Masters Program. That August Zack helped her pack up her belongings and haul them to the West Coast to begin her studies. This was the beginning of a long distance relationship that would span 6 years, multiple cities, a cross country move, and a pandemic. The year 2020 was a challenging time for everyone around the world. but the government and public shutdowns proved an unexpected silver lining for Morgan and Zack. Not able to go into the Smithsonian labs, Morgan was able to move down to Austin from March until November. This was the longest amount of time they were able to spend together over the course of their entire relationship. Once Morgan flew back to the East Coast to return to work, Zack knew that he didn't want to see her leave again. After the end of her contract with the National Museum of the American Indian in September 2021, Zack and Morgan made plans to move her down to Austin so that they could be together for good.

Morgan moved back to Austin Halloween weekend 2021 and Zack had planned all along to propose one year from then. During an October visit to New Jersey to see friends and family (and the beautiful fall colors) Zack and Morgan went for a walk with their dog niece, Maisie, along Strawbridge Lake in Moorestown. Beside a beautiful tree on the lake Zack asked and Morgan enthusiastically accepted!

We are so excited to welcome family and friends to celebrate!