We’re getting married!

As with everything in 2020, we had a bit of an unconventional and unexpected start. While the world was in lockdown, we both ended up in the only place were we could meet anyone - online. We talked via text and few FaceTime dates for about a month and a half before ever meeting in person. On June 6, we finally met (IN PERSON!) at the Atlanta Zoo for our first real date. It was the most fun day complete with all the panda feelings for Cheney, and both of us left feeling really excited about where this thing could go.

The plans started to come together about mid-February of this year. Cheney's roommate, Erica, was also getting engaged soon, so after some timeline talk between John and Erica's now fiancé Matt, March 6 became the proposal date. After scoping out a couple of different engagement spots (big shoutout to Gary, Kenzie, Kyle, and Evan), this awesome spot in Serenbe was picked the week of the engagement. After a conversation between John and Erica about how Cheney would get to Serenbe, the final plans were put into place for March 6. Cheney's roommate, Erica, had gotten engaged two weeks earlier and had started the wedding venue search. Erica "decided to set up" an appointment at Serenbe to tour as a potential wedding venue on March 6, and she wanted the roommates to go with her as her fiancé couldn’t join. On the way there, they got stuck in crazy traffic and were going to be late to the appointment. Cheney couldn’t understand why Erica didn’t want to call and let the venue know we would be late, but she let it go. They drove around Serenbe seemingly lost for a few minutes. What Cheney did not see was Emma giving Erica directions via hand motions from the back seat in the rear mirror. Sure enough, this was not a venue tour, as made clear when John stepped out from a trail in the woods. The roommates dropped Cheney off where she and John walked down to a waterfall. John asked Cheney to marry him, and she said yes!