Like most couples nowadays, we met online. A flirtatious message turned into texting, then into phone calls and FaceTime. A month later, Jay was on his way up to Bloomington for our first date. We rang in the new year together, and the rest was history!

Anyone who knows Catherine knows it’s not easy to keep gifts a secret from her. Jay, being the ultimate “no spoilers” kinda guy, had to make sure every part of the proposal came as a surprise. The full story is much better in person, but let’s just say that Jay kept Catherine on a wild goose chase for 2 days, tracking down clues and cracking codes to find out where the proposal was going to happen. It even included a homemade treasure box that could only be opened with a secret code. By the time Jay finally got down on one knee in Starkville’s Veterans Rose Garden and officially asked Catherine to marry him, it was no riddle what her answer would be.

We are thrilled that you're going to be present as we publicly affirm what we both have known for years: We love each other, we accept each other unconditionally, and we plan to choose each other every day for the rest of our lives.