At the end of summer 2017 Emily had just moved into Mountain Park Estates apartment complex in Kennesaw, Georgia. One morning she decided to go for a run and was surprised to see someone walking a dog that looked identical to her brother Jonathan's dog, Harry. Will was taking his dog, Boomer, out when Emily ran by. Boomer dragged Will over to say hello. Emily and Will had briefly met before at Kennesaw State, but were getting to know each other for the first time because of Boomer's intervention. They were excited and shocked that someone their age also lived in this mostly student-free apartment complex. Will took Emily's phone number and eventually asked her on a date!

Will told Emily as they were dating that he would only propose after dating 2 years. He felt that 2 years would be enough time to truly get to know each other and discover their compatibility. 2 years came and went in May of 2020 and Will knew that God wanted Emily to be his wife. He talked with his parents and sought their input on how to make this lifelong commitment. In June of 2020, he purchased a beautiful ring with Emily's style in mind. The next step was to set a time for lunch with Emily's father, Steve. Will expressed his desire to marry Emily and asked for his blessing. After shared pizza and words of wisdom, it was time to come up with the perfect proposal! Consulting with his mother, sister, and Emily's mother, Sheila, Will pieced together an intricate plan to propose. He recruited her friends Mallory, Genna, Ryann, and his sister, Kathryn, to participate in this special day. Will designed a scavenger hunt with each friend to surprise her at various locations that held value to their relationship. He asked Emily to a late lunch at Henry's in Acworth on August 1st - a restaurant they both love and frequent. Instead of Will greeting her there, her friend Mallory surprised her with a card from her soon-to-be fiance! The card contained a hand-written clue from Will guiding Emily to the next location. The second stop was to Mountain Park Estates, the apartment complex where they first met. Genna was there to give Emily the next card. Location three was Moore's Market in Cartersville - another restaurant Will and Emily enjoy. Ryann greeted her there and handed her the next card. Will's sister, Kathryn, brought Emily's dog, Georgie, to Georgie's daycare just down the street from Moore's Market and surprised Emily with the final clue. Finally, Emily arrived at Will's parent's house in Cartersville, and hurried to the backyard where Will was standing by the pool filled with roses. He proposed and she said yes!