On May 12th, 2020, I wrote down a list of all the must-have qualities I wanted in my future partner: intelligent, kind-hearted, loves his family, caring, someone who makes me laugh, and the more important ones like being a good cook and will watch reality TV with me (kidding ;) … sort of!). The list went on.  A few months later, on November 7th, after taking a three-month break from dating apps, I decided to give it another shot. As soon as I opened Hinge, there was a handsome man named Sam waiting in my likes and I messaged him. It just so happened to be his birthday that day, and who knew that six years later, we’d be celebrating our marriage on that exact date :) And yes if you're wondering, he checked off every single quality I wrote down earlier that year. 

I had just moved to Austin and was blessed to be living in the spare unit at Ben, Whitney, Tyler and Chloe's house during a major life transition. Little did I know that during my birthday celebration with them on November 7th, 2020, I would match with Cassie on Hinge. After some less-than-ideal dating experiences, I was skeptical about meeting Cass at first. But there was a comfort I hadn't expected. We spent the next month getting to know each other virtually ("getting to know each other" is putting it mildly, we wrote absolute novels to each other over text before finally meeting in person that December).

Since we’re both outdoorsy to our core, our first date was a hike (which is hard to come by in Texas!) that some friends had recommended. We spent hours chatting while overlooking the Austin skyline until it got dark, completely losing track of time. From there, our connection only deepened. We kept up our daily conversations through the holidays while Sam was in Utah (yes, more novels), until he returned to Austin in January for our second official date. Then came the infamous 2021 Austin Snowpocalypse. Without electricity and water and what we thought could've been a disaster turned into the foundation of our relationship. We spent every day laughing and making jokes about the situation we were in - boiling water to drink and making pasta in bulk to eat not knowing how long this storm would last. In those snowed-in days, we became boyfriend and girlfriend and decided if we had that much fun in such a bad situation, we could overcome anything together! These are just the first few pages in our love story, and it's been the most rewarding time of our lives. Fast forward to today: we share a home, countless adventures, and so many beautiful memories together. We got engaged on September 23rd, 2024, during a trip to Iceland on the very last day before we left. Sam proposed on the black sand beaches of the Icelandic fjords, and it was absolutely magical. You can find our engagement photos in the Gallery tab :) We’re eloping in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at Grand Teton National Park on September 10th, 2026. We wanted an intimate moment with just us, our parents who raised us, and God, but we also couldn’t imagine not celebrating with all the people we love afterward! We are so excited to share our story and celebrate this next chapter with you all!