Emma’s brother, Jackson, brought his two roommates from Mississippi State University to Martin to celebrate his birthday for the weekend. Emma was the only one in the family who had never met either roommate at this time. When Russell walked in the door, they clicked instantly.
Russell surprised Emma with tickets to the Nashville Symphony for Valentine's Day two weeks before he proposed. After months of planning every last detail, Russell asked Emma to marry him at the fountain outside the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.