Ryan and Madi met in the summer of 2008 at a high school bon fire, where they each had mutual friends. Ryan’s friends were hosting and Madi was always up for an outing with her friends. Then Madi saw Ryan. She thought he was cute, so she "accidently" lost her phone and HAD to borrow Ryan's to help find hers (sneaky way to get a number). Little did Ryan know he would be helping find her phone (wallet and keys) for the rest of his life. They texted on and off for almost a year before going on their first date. January 1, 2010 Ryan officially asked Madi to be his girlfriend. As time went on they endured new challenges - from being two hours apart in college, to Madi studying abroad in Spain, then moving halfway across the country to finish her schooling. After being in separate countries and separate states for almost six years, Madi graduated and moved back. They decided at that moment they didn’t want to do distance any longer. In December 2017, they bought their first house together in Independence, IA and have been making memories there ever since.

December 23, 2019, Ryan decided it was time to start Christmas shopping and what better time to buy a ring. On Christmas Eve, Madi begged to open presents, though Ryan would not budge. He was adamant on waiting until Christmas Day. The next day Christmas morning had arrived. They sat down together and had cinnamon rolls with coffee and baileys as a Christmas morning treat. Madi started asking when it was time to open presents, meanwhile Ryan was getting a slight buzz from his coffee and antsy to get his workout in. Ryan finally replied "We can after I get back from the gym.” Knowing Madi could not and would not wait - Ryan packed up her gift and took it with him to the gym. FINALLY after Ryan returned home, it was time to open presents. Ryan popped the question after exactly 9 years and 51 weeks of dating. He had always said he would before they hit their 10 year anniversary - and stuck to it! We are so excited to finally celebrate our big day with you!