In 2013, Ryan and Nick both separately made the spontaneous decision to attend Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for the first and, so far, only time. The friends they joined brought together a campsite of half Boston and half Nashville folks. Ryan and Nick connected over those four days and have spoken every day since. For over eight years, Ryan and Nick have been through so much and have grown together every step of the way. They are so excited to kick off the next chapter by celebrating with their nearest and dearest.

Ryan is a notoriously difficult person to surprise, but Nick was determined! He knew the most likely way to be successful in the surprise would be to disguise the day as typical social plans, so he enlisted the help of his sister Danielle and sister-in-law Caleigh. Danielle sent a group text about going to check out a winery all together on a specific date and the plans were set. When proposal day arrived, Nick was acting strangely, but Ryan ended up distracted by car sickness on the way to meet up with everyone and it was a 90 degree day which was not helping. When they arrive to Danielle and Caleigh's house, Danielle is prepped and ready for the diversion. She lets them know that Caleigh had to go into work unexpectedly (believable) and that she thought we could take the dogs on a nearby hike (they've done this before). Now, this is where you know for sure that Ryan didn't know what was happening. Ryan says "You guys go. I need to cool off in the air conditioning." Nick and Danielle panicked slightly, but Nick simply says, "Ryan, please come..." This might have been where most people thought something was up, but in Ryan's state, she just assumed Nick really wanted to go but didn't want to leave her behind. So Ryan asked for ten minutes or so to rally. That ten minutes was up and she was doing better, so Ryan borrowed boots from Danielle and they set off! As they neared the pre-selected destination, they crested a hill and could see a gorgeous picnic setup and a Will You Marry Me sign. For a split second, Ryan assumed they were ruining someone else's proposal, but then she saw Caleigh off to the side (obviously not at work) and it all clicked. Typically a very chatty person, Ryan was speechless. Nick got down on one knee and proposed. Ryan said yes! They enjoyed their picnic and spent the remainder of the day celebrating (and did in fact make it to that winery).