Like so many modern love stories, ours began with a swipe. But the moment we met in person on April 3, 2024, we both knew—this was different. Jeanine arrived 30 minutes early (nerves) and was standing on the curb when Christoph pulled up, waiting so they could walk in together. When he got out of the car, she was beaming ear to ear, radiating pure joy. He was real, not a catfish, and (in her words) the actual handsomest boy in the world. As Christoph tells it, he noticed that smile immediately. And when she later tried to play it cool and mysterious, he told her it was far too late. The truth was already written all over both of their faces: this was love at first sight. Christoph had picked an Italian restaurant and found it mildly suspicious that Jeanine ordered fish instead of pasta. (In fairness, she was too nervous to mention her celiac disease on a first date.) The date fell on a Wednesday, which Jeanine thought was a strategic choice so they wouldn’t drink too much—never mind the pregame gin shots beforehand. Any initial awkwardness didn’t stand a chance. Conversation flowed effortlessly. Christoph and Jeanine were so locked into each other that when they finally looked up, the restaurant had been closed for an hour—chairs stacked, lights dimmed. To this day, they're convinced the staff knew what was happening and let them have the moment. Then came karaoke, where any remaining inhibitions disappeared. They danced like they’d never danced before and sang like they’d known each other forever. Something clicked that night. They laughed, they leaned in, and let themselves fall—completely, unapologetically—in love. A few days later, Christoph flew to Nashville with friends to celebrate his birthday. While scrolling TikTok, he suddenly froze—Jeanine had popped up on his For You page. Excited, he showed his friends…only to realize it was a full, play-by-play review of their first date. In the video, she casually mentioned that she was already madly in love with him. Naturally, Christoph did what any rational person would do commented. Naturally, Jeanine immediately texted him: “You need to block me. Right now.” At that point, there was really no turning back. We haven’t looked back since. From that first night to this moment, we’ve known: we found our person—our best friend, our dance partner, our forever. :)

Our proposal started with a lie. Christoph told me he had volunteered to help set up for a Dallas Chamber Symphony event on December 12th at the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Naturally, when we arrived, the place was… mostly empty. A very kind woman let us in, asked if we were there for setup, and pointed us in the right direction (so yes—he not only lied, he recruited accomplices). We followed the kind lady's directions, and after rounding a corner, I saw hundreds of lit candles scattered around the lawn. As I'm telling Christoph how crazy and elaborate this event is about to be, I'm blinded by flashing lights. Can you believe that they hired fake paparazzi for this charity event??? I'm embarrassed to admit that I was turning to Christoph to say exactly that ... and instead I turned and found Christoph getting down on one knee. I blacked out after that... I remember saying something about the ring box having a light (??), and then something about a YES, and some tears (his, not mine). Now all I can think about is how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with my best friend!!

It all started with a lie. “Jeanine, we have a fundraising event for the Dallas Chamber Symphony on December 12 at the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Would you please add it to our social calendar?” What she did not know was that I had been planning the whole thing for months. I had already picked up the ring and had been hiding it in my car the entire time. I could not keep it in the house. She would have found it somehow. About two weeks before the event, I told her we needed to arrive early because I had volunteered to help set up and make sure the performers got to the right place. She bought it. Then, the weekend before the proposal, she looked at me and said, “I had to calm myself down today because I feel like you are hiding something from me. But then I remembered it is Christmas, and you have probably already bought my presents.” I just chuckled and said, “Yep, that must be it.” The day of the proposal, I left the office early to pick her up. Before I got to the house, I stopped down the street to practice getting on one knee. Apparently there is a correct knee, for anyone wondering. It is the left one. Right before we left, I got a message that the photographer was running late, so I needed to stall. I started telling Jeanine that I did not really want to go anymore and that my stomach hurt. Once we finally left, I told her we would just help them get set up, stay for maybe an hour to show our faces, and then head home. I had originally suggested dinner afterward, but I told her I was no longer in the mood. She was completely fine with that. When we arrived at the Nasher Sculpture Garden, someone greeted us and asked, “Are you here for tonight’s event?” “Yes, we are,” I said. We walked through the museum and out into the garden. Jeanine started asking me something about the Crow and Perot families, and I happily engaged, mostly to keep her distracted from the 300 candles sitting less than 100 yards away. As we got closer, the photographer’s flash kept going off. Over and over. I remember thinking, They are going to blow this. She is absolutely going to figure it out. She did not. We reached the center of the garden, and I told her how much I loved her, how she was my best friend, and how I did not want to spend the rest of my life without her. Then I got down on one knee, opened the ring box, and before anything else she said: “Oh my God, there is a light in the box!” Then, thankfully: “Yes, I will marry you.”