Ashley first caught Tim’s attention by featuring a selfie of her slurping a Cookout milkshake as one of the photos on her online profile. Tim knew that a girl who loved Cookout just might be a girl he could love. With a “like” of the photo and a comment that neither of us can remember, a conversation got started and we set up plans to meet. On our first date at a DC wine bar, Tim donned a button-down/sweater combination that has never been seen again. He thought we were going for dinner, but Ashley could only hang for a couple of glasses of wine before calling it a night around 8:45pm. Despite the early ending, we both knew we wanted to see each other again to continue bonding over a mutual love of Garth Brooks and baseball and bashing the District of Columbia.

While living in DC, we started a "tradition" (okay, we only went once) of going to NYC around Christmastime. When plans came together to go again this year before heading upstate for Christmas, the wheels started turning for Tim. After a delicious brunch on our three-year anniversary, Tim suggested a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, which was cold and crowded. But still pretty! We stopped on the bridge to take in the sights for a minute before Ashley was ready to go. It was cold! She had to use the restroom! But, Tim kept saying, "One more minute," while waiting for the crowd to clear. It never did, so he eventually just bit the bullet and got down on one knee. Ashley did an ugly cry for a few seconds before saying "Yes!" Then, we went to Macy's to see Santa.

We were all set up to be married in October of 2020 until the coronavirus pandemic came along and upended all of our plans. With so much uncertainty, we knew we wanted to go ahead and say our vows, but we also knew we'd have to get creative! We were able to assemble a small number of close family and friends for a ceremony in August of 2020. Since we met online, it only makes sense that we also celebrated our marriage surrounded virtually by our family and friends. A real 21st century love story.

From the start, we have thought about our marriage in several different ways including making our commitments to one another in the legal, religious, and social ceremonies that typically surround a wedding. Most couples do all of these together in one swoop, but we're thrilled to have the opportunity to keep the party going. We have made our religious and legal commitments to one another, and we're looking forward to fully sealing the deal by having a celebration surrounded by the love and support of our family and friends in March of 2022.