Luke and I have known of each other since middle school through jump rope. But, we didn't interact much until becoming team captains our junior year of high school. We had both been in long-term relationships through high school and our interactions were platonic/operationally focused on jump rope.

I had ended my relationship fall of my senior year of high school and Luke's relationship ended early freshman year of college. We were both 2020 high school grads and our first year of college were marked by masking, social distancing, and minimal ways to meet new people. Luke came home often and I stayed home to save money. So my weekends quickly became hanging out with Luke, Zach, and Tyler.

Luke and I became close friends, talking and hanging out often... Often enough that when I moved to Ann Arbor sophomore year, my new roommates were asking who this "friend" was and if it was more than that. I was insistent that we were just friends who had known each other a long time. There wasn't anything more to it than that. But my conviction on that sentiment began to waver...

After Luke and I talked practically every day of our sophomore year of college and into the summer, I was questioning what we were doing lol. I had spent New Years with him and the straw that broke this camel's back was when I took him to a haircut just to wait and hangout with him. So on our way to pick up his mom from the park and ride near their house, I hit him with "So are we dating??". To which he responded, "I mean I think so?".

After confronting Luke in the car, we officially started dating and I couldn't feel any luckier. He's my best friend and for the last two years we've shuttled between SVSU and U of M, completed internships, travelled, graduated college, started our first jobs, and moved to Minnesota (Saint Paul for him and Rochester for me).

The first weekend of October 2024, Zach and his girlfriend Emma came to visit me and Luke in Minnesota. Luke and I had looked at rings in June and talked about getting engaged in the fall. I mistakenly had little faith Luke had even gotten a ring let alone planned a proposal. But while Zach, Emma, Luke, and I were hiking at Whitewater State Park, I found myself on a scenic overlook with Luke kneeling before me. Easiest "yes" ever!

Luke and I have been so fortunate to go home often and have the best support from our parents to plan our wedding. We are so excited to tie the knot and celebrate with all of you! We want our day to be a relaxed, fun day to dress up, laugh a lot, and celebrate with our favorite people. We can't wait to see you there!