Ethan and Dea met as freshmen at the University of Oklahoma at the stroke of midnight on September 9, 2011. Hearing a sudden uproar in a room at a fraternity party, Dea decided to join the commotion singing “happy birthday” to one of their new pledges—which turned out to be Ethan celebrating his 19th birthday. Feeling an instant connection, Dea immediately asked Ethan to her first sorority date party for his "birthday gift." Throughout the years, they attended several other date parties together. While Ethan & Dea never “officially” dated during college, they kept in touch even after leaving Norman, Oklahoma for Denver, Colorado and Dallas, Texas. On a whim, Dea booked a ticket to Denver to visit Ethan and they soon decided to make it official despite the distance. On their 3-year “official” dating anniversary, Ethan proposed during a trip to Sausalito, California. And with several wedding postponements due to COVID-19, they eloped in Sedona, Arizona on August 10, 2020. As a true testament to the dating clichés: “love at first sight,” “distance makes the heart grow fonder,” “marry your best friend" and "love is patient," Ethan and Dea greatly appreciate those who have patiently watched their relationship grow from the very beginning, and awaited their celebration that is two years (720 days to be exact!) overdue due to a global pandemic. The couple looks forward to celebrating their elopement and Catholic sacrament of marriage with all of you one decade after it all began.