We're getting married!

Erin and Conner met towards the end of their sophomore year of college. Both Conner and Erin loved to go country line dancing at InCahoots in Fullerton. So, it was no surprise that they ended up there on the same night in April 2019. Erin caught Conner’s eye from across the dance floor, and Conner came up with a plan. He noticed that she was in a group with 5 girls and 2 guys, and no one was dancing at that time. He walked up to the group, pointed this out, and offered to show the guys how to dance. He proceeded to grab Erin’s hand and drag her out onto the dance floor. They started dancing and Conner (very subtly) started dancing away from the group. They danced for a few songs and then spent some time talking and getting to know each other. Conner asked for Erin’s phone number, and she reluctantly agreed, but she would come to find out that it was one of the best decisions of her life. Shortly after, Erin headed home for the summer. One night, while visiting family in Arizona, Conner decided to reach out to try and take Erin on a proper date. If you know Erin and Conner well, then it was no surprise that their first date was also dancing. To their surprise, they happened to show up on a night when the average age at the dance hall was about 70 years old. This ended up working in Conner’s favor since there was no real competition, and he was able to sweep Erin off her feet. So, what started as a slightly awkward night turned out to be a great memory and the start of a wonderful relationship.

On February 18, 2022, Conner planned a surprise proposal, and Erin was definitely surprised. The day of the proposal was Erin’s late grandfather’s birthday, which Conner knew would be an extra special detail. Plans for the proposal first started when Conner purchased a ring in Tennessee. Being such a significant event, a lot of planning went into it. One of the first steps was asking Erin’s father, Karl, for his blessing in asking for Erin’s hand in marriage. Conner found out later that Bethany and Karl changed their plans to celebrate their 24th anniversary so that Karl could be available to have that dinner with Conner. Conner’s mom, Kendra, had driven to Arizona for this special day, and Conner told Erin that he wanted one night where both families had dinner together (which was not unusual). Erin thought that the plan was to meet at her parents’ house to play games and then go out for dinner. However, Conner had other plans. He had planted an idea in Erin’s head about a week earlier that they should take a walk sometime around the lake in her parents’ neighborhood, like they did on their first date. On the day of the proposal, Conner put on the same boots as he wore on their first date, and went to pick up Erin from her apartment. As they were driving to Erin’s parents’ house, Erin got a text from her dad saying that her mom and sister were fighting (not true) and that they should wait to come over. So, with the idea already in her head, Erin suggested that they go and take a walk around the lake in the meantime (which was Conner’s plan all along). Conner parked the car and they began walking around the lake. He made sure that they walked far enough that they couldn’t see the dock, so that both families had time to go down to the lake and hide. Erin got a text from her dad saying that the fighting had stopped, and they could come over to the house. As they walked back, Conner suggested that they walk down to the dock for a minute. After they got down to the dock, Erin commented on what a beautiful day it was and wanted to take a selfie with Conner. Conner tried to convince her not to because he was afraid that if she turned around, she would see the photographer. However, Erin was totally oblivious, so when she turned around to take the selfie, she didn’t even notice the photographer walking towards them (lucky). Conner then took Erin’s sunglasses from her hand and set them on the dock (which she was very confused by), and then he took her hands and looked into her eyes. He was shaky and nervous, trying to remember the words he had planned to say. Then he said, “I am asking for a lifetime, nothing less, nothing more”, he got down on one knee, and asked, “Erin, Will you marry me?” With a look of total shock and joy on her face, she said yes!! Then both families came running out to hug them and celebrate with them. It was truly a perfect moment.