Emily and Camden went on their first date on August, 22nd, 2024. Although she was nervous, she had a good feeling about Camden and decided to let him pick her up at her apartment in South Bend. Camden knocked on the door and Emily left her roommates upstairs to meet this new boy for the first time. (Camden later recalls that he could hear the girls screaming and yelling when he knocked on the door) They had been texting in the days before the date and Camden had suggested mini golf and maybe icecream or a snack after. Emily was glad she wasn't going to be sitting across the table from a stranger for an hour over a nervous dinner. Mini golf was the perfect ice breaker activity. Emily even got a hole in one! Camden and Emily began the early stages of learning about each other. Camden talked about his experiences in college, his job, and his golden retreiver Bosa. Emily told Camden about working at the hospital and studying Biology. When they finished up golfing, they decided to get ice cream. Although it was only their first date, Camden and Emily could not stop talking. The ice cream shop they went to had locked the doors, cleaned the inside, and were starting to clean the patio by the time they finished up! Camden dropped Emily back off at her apartment and of couse walked her up to the front door. That night, against her roommates advice (they thought she should wait for him to text her first) Emily told Camden that she'd had a great time and would love to see him again. From then on, Camden took Emily out once a week until they officially started dating.

Emily decided to take Camden skiing on December 26th, 2024 at Swiss Valley Ski Area. They had been skiing together once before and it seemed like Camden was picking the sport up well. A few of Emily's friends from high school were joining them on the slopes and she thought it would be a fun way to introduce her new boyfriend to them. As Emily decided to ski down the side path through the woods, Camden was supposedly following her down. She figured he would be waiting for her at the bottom. When she popped out of the trees, she didn't find him waiting at the lifts. Instead, a little kid snowboarded by her and said "we need ski patrol up there some guy got hurt". Emily knew immediately that "some guy" was her guy and she jumped back up on the ski lift to reach him. After riding the lift up and skiing back down to Camden, she found him on his back saying his shoulder hurt. Once they got him off the hill and into the ski patrol building, it was pretty clear his shoulder was dislocated. Emily and Camden had only been dating for about three months and this was the first time she'd every had to take anyone to the emergency room. Because Camden couldn't drive with a dislocated shoulder, Emily had to get Camden's car and drive them from Michigan to South Bend, IN and to the emergency room. Once there, they got a room and Camden eventually got some pain medication. After a few hours, he got his shoulder popped back in and they finally got to leave the ER. On the way back home, Camden was starving so they stopped at McDonalds on the way back to Emily's apartment. Camden was ever the trooper and still wanted Emily's friends to come over for pizza and game night!

On September 6th, 2025, Camden drove Emily to get her nails done with her best friend Kaitlyn. She was intown for the Zach Bryan concert that they had gotten tickets for a few months prior. Kaitlyn mentioned needing a manicure before the concert because her nails needed a fill and said that she would treat Emily to the experience as a belated birthday gift. Kaitlyn even sent proof of her nails which did need to be redone. Emily thought something else might be going on until she saw Camden's outfit that morning before they left. Someone planning to propose would not leave the house in a sweatshirt. After the nail salon, Kaitlyn and Emily met up with Camden and drove to Saint Mary's. Kaitlyn mentioned wanted to get her boyfriend something from the bookstore and also wanted to visit the Island to carve their names into a tree (a Saint Mary's tradition). As they headed toward the bridge, Emily noticed she no longer had her purse or jacket, they had been taken by Kaitlyn, and as she kept walking she realized no one was behind her. Camden was quietly slipping out of his sweatshirt as he followed her onto the bridge that connects the main campus to the island. When they reached the middle of the bridge, Camden dropped to one knee and asked Emily to marry him. Of course, Emily said YES! The surprises didn’t end there. Emily's former college roommates emerged from the bushes, cheering and celebrating. The ruse was up, and the planned "roommate brunch" was actually a surpirse engagement party!