Caroline and Tyler met at Kent State through mutual friends. Their first “date” was a trip to Chipotle after Tyler jokingly told Caroline to give the nice guy a chance while a little tipsy on Caroline’s graduation night in May 2019. What started as a casual outing quickly turned into a close friendship that summer. At the time, the plan was not to seriously date. Tyler still had another year of school, and Caroline was moving to New York City. But even after the move, they kept texting and FaceTiming every day, and by November it felt impossible not to give long distance a chance.

After three years of long distance and many visits along the way, Tyler, a Cleveland native, took a leap and moved to Richmond in January 2023 to start their life together. During this time, they grew from just boyfriend and girlfriend to true partners in everything. In September 2025, he proposed during one of their favorite daily routines, an evening walk with their dog, Ellie. She cleary said yes! They cannot wait to begin their next chapter together.