Erin and Dani first met on the Hinge dating app. Erin saw that Dani had a puppy and, being a dog lover herself, they started chatting about their dogs. Pretty quickly, they knew they were interested in each other and planned their first date. Dani took Erin to a carnival, and they spent WAY too much money trying to win a stuffed animal for each other or playing bingo. While they lost every bingo game they played, they eventually won a stuffed animal that they promptly named Moneybags. They got on the Ferris Wheel and had their first kiss at the very top. After the carnival, they stopped by a local bar because neither of them wanted the date to end. Erin and Dani knew it was love at first sight! Dani asked Erin to be her girlfriend on August 26, 2023, by setting up a ton of tealights and rose petals and hung up balloons that spelled "Will you be my girlfriend?". It was a total shock to Erin, but she was very happy! On April 26, 2024, Erin and Dani officially moved in together in their dream town, Crystal Lake. Many special events have happened in that townhome, such as Dani hosting her very first Thanksgiving where she cooked the entire meal, Erin and Dani decorating Dani's first ever Christmas Tree, and the most special, Erin proposing to Dani on February 15, 2025. Erin planned out an entire Titanic-themed home-cooked meal. When Dani arrived home, she met her at the door with a boarding ticket while the Titanic theme song was playing in the background on our record player. The room was lined with string lights, and the kitchen table was set with a white tablecloth, a beautiful centerpiece, and fine china and crystal. Erin prepared a menu filled with dishes she thought Dani would like that were actually served to Titanic passengers. This was a huge deal because, in our relationship, Dani is the cook and cooks dinner for us every night. So, for Erin to decide to do this for her, she knew she was speaking her love language. After dinner, Erin asked Dani to walk to the record player and find a new record of our song, "Until I Found You" by Stephen Sanchez. Dani put it on, and when she turned around, Erin was down on one knee. Dani proposed to Erin on May 24, 2025, by taking her on a walk to her all-time favorite nature spot at Citizens Park in Barrington. When they arrived, Dani had arranged for Erin's sister and friend to be there to take photos and video of the proposal, as well as do engagement photos directly after. Erin and Dani's engagement rings have very special meanings. They were custom-made with family heirlooms incorporated into each one. Erin's center diamond is the diamond from her mom's engagement ring; the stones in the halo also feature small diamonds from her mom's wedding band. The band of her ring is melted-down gold from her dad's wedding band, as well as her mom's. Dani's engagement ring features a special diamond that her diamond-loving grandma helped her find. The band on the ring is melted-down gold from gold pieces given to her by her mom, her mom's mom, as well as her dad's mom. We can't wait to begin the next chapter of our story together and are so excited to celebrate with everyone we love so dearly!