It was June 2013 and Chris was busily setting up dates with eligible ladies during his first foray into online dating when he came across Ashleigh's profile. To hear Chris say it, "she was pretty cute" but he also liked that her profile mentioned she enjoyed football. Chris sent a message and soon the Packers - 49ers trash talk began (both teams were winning more games than losing them back then). Chris decided with two dates with other ladies already on the books, why not ask Ashleigh too. She distinctly remembers suggesting her local office bar The Well in Hollywood (in case he bailed she could easily go home). But Chris didn't bail and an old fashioned and scotch was had before Chris walked Ashleigh to her vehicle. Ashleigh recalls fairly early on in the date that she would see Chris again if he asked. Chris, however, remembers that he had no idea if Ashleigh even liked him or not until the very end of the date. In his memory she was very enthusiastic in thanking him for walking her back to her car, and that confirmed to him he could ask her out again. Ashleigh doesn't remember this being out of the ordinary - how many guys still offer this gesture? In short, a second date was had, then a third. After the third date, Ashleigh received a text from Chris asking if she'd like to meet his mother (who was visiting in LA), and that's when she knew Chris would be sticking around.

Catalina, a small island off the coast of Long Beach, CA, holds a special place for us. Chris thought a Catalina proposal seemed apropos as it would be nice to have a specific place he and Ashleigh could re-visit as "the proposal spot.” Chris had a very specific plan for how the whole engagement would go: They'd take a leisurely stroll to The Wrigley House, a historical home overlooking the beautiful harbor. Once up there he and Ashleigh would enjoy a drink and Chris would steer the conversation toward a retrospective on all that they’d experienced together and all that there was to look forward to in the future. Then, at the opportune moment, Chris would get on one knee and pop the question! As you might imagine, the reality was a little less "Hollywood" than he’d hoped. July 8th, 2017 was the hottest day of the year on Catalina and within 5 minutes of their hike they were drenched in sweat. Huffing and puffing, they arrived at the Wrigley House and realized it was closed – apparently the historical home had been rented out for a private party. In a state of slight panic, Chris had to improvise. Heading back down the hill he spied a picturesque overlook and thought: "We'll stop there and I'll propose," however the spot was soon overrun with camera-toting golf cart-riding tourists, essentially killing the vibe. As the last cart finally departed down the road, Chris knew this had to be it. He stopped Ashleigh, but words failed him - he couldn’t speak! As Chris recalls it, “I had a lump in my throat and realized the emotions of the situation had suddenly descended on me.” Eventually, he was able to push out some string of words (you'd have to ask Ashleigh what he said exactly. Just getting words out was a struggle). He then took a knee and asked Ashleigh if she would marry him – even using her middle name! Of course she said “yes!” – and can attest that even proposals on the side of a road can be romantic! The rest is history!