We're getting married!

Alexis and Eric met the modern way: swiping on Hinge in April of 2020. In the midst of lockdowns at the onset of the pandemic in DC, they anticipated chatting via messages and possibly never actually meeting each other in person. That notion was quickly scrapped when they both realized they were becoming engrossed in prolonged and in-depth their conversations with each other. And so, their first date lasted 9 hours, starting with a walk on the National Mall in DC. Alexis and Eric spent countless nights cooking, listening to each other's music, and going on long runs together. Some of their favorite memories together include: going on their first hike at Cunningham Falls State Park (ironic, yes), the time Eric was nervously trying to impress Alexis with his cooking skills and nearly sliced his finger to the bone, and when Alexis took Eric on his first camping trip... and it rained so hard they couldn't even start a fire.

Eric proposed on his and Alexis's first anniversary. He knew the proposal was not going to be much of a surprise, since he and Alexis were both open about eagerly looking forward to spending their lives together. Going ring shopping to look at styles did not help that, either. Thus, it was up to Eric to devise some sort of surprise for the day, and an elaborate ruse was born. Since Eric's parents were preparing for their move to Germany, a goodbye visit by them to the DC area was the perfect cover. Airport pickups were planned, dinner reservations were made, and local things to do were scheduled... all by Alexis. Eric, with his parents' enlisted aid, intentionally neglected to help with any of the planning so Alexis remained distracted (and frustrated). His parents were never coming, however. Instead of helping Alexis with hosting logistics, Eric was busy coordinating a meeting of his and Alexis's families down in Florida for the same weekend. Airport pickups were planned, dinner reservations were made, and local things to do were scheduled. Meanwhile, Eric made a reservation at a fancy rooftop bar in Georgetown with gorgeous views of the city for their anniversary night. Alexis wanted to exchange letters of affection as gifts, so Eric did the obvious thing and put his proposal at the end of the letter. Alexis confirmed she was not surprised, and commented that Eric had seemed very nervous on the way over. In her excitement, she had missed the last page of the letter, which contained the flight information for their trip to Florida. When she finally discovered it, she was both shocked and nervous for the families to meet. We are happy to share that the meeting went very well, and we are looking forward to sharing our day with you!