Dennis and Mariah first met on Tinder, a dating app. Their first date was a few days later at Buffalo Wild Wings. Dennis ditched work early and Mariah stayed up late so they could meet for dinner at 10 pm on a Wednesday night since they had opposite work schedules and Mariah was a single mom with 2 kids. They talked for hours and had an instant connection. They soon figured out how similar their personalities were, shared similar experiences and interested, and that they were even from the same place in Nebraska/Iowa!

Dennis proposed to Mariah while on a trip for a Pokemon tournament in Canada. Dennis and Mariah are avid travelers, so they jumped on the opportunity to see Niagara Falls during a long weekend trip, even if it was during the middle of winter and 12 degrees. They had been talking about moving in together and marriage for a few months, but the proposal was a complete surprise to Mariah. Dennis proposed while Mariah thought they were getting their picture taken in front of Niagara Falls. Turns out, Dennis set his phone to video to capture the whole thing! Of course she immediately said yes!