Tessa and Derek met when they were just 15 at a mutual friend's party, but things really started at an Enumclaw football game in October 2018. Their first date was shortly after with Tessa’s parents (very romantic) to see Fantastic Beasts, a sweet start to everything that came after. In the early days, most of their “dates” relied on patient parents and a lot of coordinating rides until they finally got their licenses and traded drop-offs for real dates and their own adventures. On January 2nd, 2019, Derek officially asked Tessa to be his girlfriend using pink flamingo fairy lights that spelled out “GF?”, a gesture that was simple, funny, and very them. Since then, Tessa and Derek have grown up together; from high school to college and grad school, through first jobs, vacations, and buying their first house in 2024. They’ve been through so many chapters of life side by side and couldn’t be more excited for the next one… this time, with the same last name.