In July of 2023 Caralee found herself attending Harvest's Young Adult Ministry for the first time and left with no clue she had just met her husband. Joel and Caralee connected immediately over their mutual love of art and music. Group hangouts led to more intentional and fun 1-on-1 hangouts that we adamantly insisted were not dates but our close friends knew otherwise :). In late November, Caralee HAD to know if there was something more to these "date-not-dates" than Joel led her to believe. After another Young Adults meeting Joel was lovingly met by Caralee at the Circle K near the house of their friends, Nathaniel and Blythe Bergstrom, and she got her answer. The answer was yes! The first REAL date was on... Joel planned a film photography excursion at the STL Central Library, dinner at Retreat Gastropub, and a lovely drive through Forest Park. After their first date, Joel and Caralee realized they were truly the goofiest and weirdest people they had ever met and it was great! The following months were filled with navigating the challenges of relationships while learning to have fun through it all. Some of the highlights were trips to Chicago (where Joel is from), stargazing in the middle of winter, many episodes of Columbo (IYKYK), Jazz Jams, and cooking dinner together. On March 8, 2025, Joel proposed to Caralee at their first date spot (where it all began... mostly). Joel led Caralee through the Central Library to a spot where he had placed a book. This book was filled with gushy text messages they had sent to each other throughout their relationship (*awwww). After they looked through the book, Joel got down on one knee and asked Caralee to marry him... And the answer was yes! _____ We are super excited for our wedding day and appreciate all your love and support as we start our new lives together!