“Will you marry me?”

ERIC'S SIDE My parents visited me that summer & I took off work to show them around Chicago. Like any attentive millennial, I was on my phone. On July 17th I matched on Bumble with Briana where she made the 1st move. Being off work, I felt I could respond in the moment. She said she moved to the city with Kraft, so I knew I was talking with another CPGer. After a few rounds of messages & "vetting", she mentioned she was intrigued enough & asked if I wanted to get drinks later that week. I knew I couldn't risk leaving my parents alone as they'd probably rearrange my condo, so I agreed to meet once my parents left. We met at The Allis @ Soho House in West Loop, where the 1st drink turned into dinner at Nellcotte right around the corner, where we chatted a couple hours. We immediately scheduled our next date at dinner. I walked her home to the front of her building & gave a hug before going home. I was heading to Evanston to sit in on a class for what would be my future grad school program. Who knew that 2 of the most pivotal & important things in my life would start on consecutive days? BRIANA'S SIDE After much research, I tried online dating for the 1st time. I came across Eric after 3 days on Bumble. We had a lot in common - Baltimore, NC, Chicago, same industry, foodies. After 5 hours of texting, I told him "I'm intrigued enough - would you want to grab drinks after work one day?" In typical Briana fashion, plans were set - 5pm Fri 7/20/18 @ The Allis. Eric was very engaging & conversation flowed for 2 hours. We got hungry so migrated to Nellcote for dinner & chatted ANOTHER 2 hours. Towards the end, we talked about life goals & what we're looking for in a relationship. Date #2 was scheduled even before Eric grabbed the bill. When Eric asked to walk me home, I thought it was a sly way to learn where I lived, but he just wanted to make sure I got home safely. It was the 1st time I met someone who could keep up with me, treat me like my Dad AND make my Mom happy.

In March 2020, Eric & Briana began ring shopping together. Briana's rationale was "If you're going to spend that much, I may as well like what you're going to get me". They went to Ethan Lord on Chicago's Jeweler's Row. Briana described what she was looking for & the sales guy knew EXACTLY what to show her. Briana tried it on & knew THAT was the style she wanted. Eric had already gotten her Father's blessing during a trip to Baltimore, so Eric covertly purchased the ring in August & started planning how to propose. After considering elaborate vs intimate ideas, he reduced the variables and decided to keep it simple. It was October & Briana loves apple picking. Since you have to drive out 1-2 hours, it makes sense to do more than 1 thing. They chose Rockford, IL since her friend Margaret just visited & raved about Anderson Japanese Gardens. But on that rainy drive, Eric's car check engine light went on, so they turned back. Little did Briana know Eric had the ring in his pocket that day. The next week on 10/25/20, the weather was clear & the car issue was fixed. The 1st stop in Rockford was Anderson Japanese Gardens - a place neither had been before. A docent shared they're known for their waterfall. After walking around, they came upon the waterfall & Eric knew THIS was the place to propose. Eric mentioned how he wanted to get a good vertical shot, which meant getting closer to the ground & getting on 1 knee. Knowing Briana's love of photos, he asked "Briana, do you want to get in the photo with the waterfall", which the answer was "Of course!". After taking her photo, he reached into his pocket & said "And I have a question for you. Briana Louise Lee, will you marry me?" Apparently Briana blanked out a moment because she did not remember hearing anything after "I have a question for you" as her brain was comprehending Eric reaching into his pocket + being on 1 knee. With tears streaming into her mask, she said YES! Good things can happen in 2020 :-)