We officially met for the first time at Ida Band Festival in high school, where our schools were seated next to each other in the bleachers. Jacob's loud, funny, obnoxious personality caught my attention immediately, naturally i asked for his phone number and made sure he added me on Facebook. We talked for a few months after, before life took us in different directions. Years later fate (and tinder) brought us back together. This time, the timing was finally right, and the rest is history! Thank you for celebrating us on this day, we can't wait to see each and every one of you!

One of our favorite memories together is our first cross-country trip. We rented a truck in Michigan and set off with no real plan other than to explore as much as we could together. Every night meant a new state, a new hotel, and another adventure awaiting us. Along the way we stopped in Des Moines and the famous Iowa 80 truck stop, explored Omaha, stayed in Loveland, drove through Estes Park, toured the historic Stanley Hotel, and walked through the mountains surrounded by some of the most beautiful views we've ever seen. We drove through the Arches National Park, stopped in Moab and found a tiny roadside gas station called Jackass Joe's UFO Jerky (worth the google). Between the mountains, deserts, and any Buc-ee's we could find, we realized even the longest drives together are fun. One of the most unforgettable parts of the trip was driving through the Rockies on 1-70 during a snowstorm after somehow running out of windshield fluid with no where to pull over. We were forced to use half full water bottles to pour on our windshield with the wipers on. Stressful in the moment but now one of our favorite stories to tell. Between incredible pasta in Fort Collins, sunsets in New Mexico, and late-night road trip snacks, the trip became more than just a vacation - it became one of the first times we truly realized we could take on anything together.

What I thought was simply a beautiful night out quickly became one of the most unforgettable moments of our lives. Months before I had any idea what was coming, Jacob secretly had his grandmother’s ring resized for me. Meanwhile, we had already planned a special evening in Detroit after buying tickets in January to see Hamilton on May 8th. Since we were dressing up for the theatre, I made reservations for dinner beforehand at the historic The Whitney — never knowing he had a completely different plan in mind. The week leading up to the show suddenly made much more sense afterward. He insisted I get my nails done, made sure he looked perfectly trimmed and put together, and we even bought brand new outfits for the occasion… or so I thought. When we arrived at The Whitney, the valet parked our truck and we spent a few minutes walking around the mansion grounds taking photos before dinner. At one point Jacob left me standing on the porch, casually saying he was going inside to put a card on file with the host. What I didn’t know was that he was actually handing over the engagement ring. Once we were seated, our host told us we had “the best seat in the house” — tucked beside a glowing fireplace and overlooking the gardens through the window. Dinner was incredible: crab cakes to start, followed by chicken and beef Wellington that somehow tasted even better than they looked. But when dessert time came, it felt like it took forever. At one point I grabbed Jacob’s hand and noticed how sweaty it was, though I didn’t think much of it at the time. Then finally, our waiter arrived carrying a silver platter with my crème brûlée decorated with a heart made of raspberry compote… and in the center was a gold ring. I froze. “Is this for me?” I asked, genuinely convinced they had brought the wrong dessert to the table. “Yes, it is,” the waiter replied. I turned to Jacob, who was holding my hand. “Are you proposing to me?” I asked as he nodded yes. Suddenly neither of us could find words anymore. I started crying, the entire room burst into applause, and in the middle of one of the most beautiful restaurants in Detroit, I said yes to my best friend.