Joel and Carol met “the new old-fashioned way,” via a dating app. He liked her smile and her wit; she liked his metal art and his beard. They met for bubble tea and rug shopping, and talked about welding for most of their first date. As it turned out, Joel’s and Carol’s orbits were closer than they imagined: Carol’s friend and coworker, Kelly, was Joel’s former neighbor and landlord; and Joel was already a regular customer at Carol’s family’s business. The two quickly fell in love over their shared passions for metalwork, history, off-the-beaten-path adventures, ridiculous humor, and Joel’s Siberian Husky, Sheeva. After their second date TIG welding in Joel’s garage, while Carol scratched behind her ears, Sheeva let out a Husky howl that sounded like “Mama!” And it was a wrap. Joel and Carol have been together since, supporting one another through home-buying, business-starting, job changes, constant laughs, health challenges, and saying goodbye to their beloved Sheeva in 2024. Joel and Carol share many special places, including the Illgen family cabins in Northern Wisconsin, the Hulm homestead farm in Perkins County, South Dakota; the “Alma Riviera” along the Upper Mississippi River, and the sand dunes of Miller Beach in Gary, Indiana. Joel remembered the story Carol had told him about her time there while studying the history of steelmaking – about sitting in the still of the evening, watching the glow of the steel mill paint multicolored ribbons of flame against the dark sky over Lake Michigan. On Memorial Day 2025, Joel proposed to Carol beneath the glow of those ribbons in the sky, knowing how special it was to her. Carol said yes. It’s hard to describe the joy of joining each other’s kind families and wonderful friend groups, but they look forward to celebrating it with all of you at their wedding on May 30, 2026.