We’re getting married!

They met the modern way, through a popular dating app! But if you ask Zach, he likes to joke that they met in the frozen meat section of Kroger lol. Shelby was on the app for only one day before connecting with Zach and less than 2 weeks later they both deleted it for good. Coincidentally, they BOTH tested positive with Covid-19 at the same time, days before they were supposed to meet for their first date. They canceled the date but continued to talk. One night, while stir crazy from several days of isolating alone and drinking red wine (that sadly only tasted like Windex), Shelby took a risk and asked him to come to her house the next day for dinner and he quickly agreed. She baked him a lasagna that neither of them could taste, but of course he told her it was amazing anyway. Conversation happened so naturally that they spent the entire evening talking, laughing, and coughing together. Her large but lovable (and very gassy) Boxer, Dexter, was just as infatuated as she was, never leaving his side. The connection between them was instant, as though they’d known each other forever. Shelby called her mom and closest friends the second he left and said “you’re going to think I’m crazy.. but I think I'm going to marry this guy”. When you know, you know, right? However, the real test would be weeks later when he would met her daughter Kayleigh. Fortunately, Kayleigh saw in him what Shelby did and they hit it off just the same, cracking jokes and playing Super Mario Party for hours. With Kayleigh's approval, within 6 months, they were all living together. Their love continued to grow and almost a year to the day of meeting, he proposed!

Zach and Shelby knew very quickly that they were meant to be together! Once he had made the decision to propose, he had secretly asked both her daughter Kayleigh and her dad Tom for permission to do so. Although he had planned out an elaborate proposal for some time later, having the ring in his possession was killing him. She had joked before, if he proposed, her only request was to make sure her nails were done (they always were.. just in case lol) and would be happy even if he had proposed from the living room couch in their sweats. He woke up that Sunday morning, less than 48 hours of having it in his possession, and decided he couldn’t wait. The original plan was off and he was going to do it that day. Joined by two of their close friends, they went shopping and then to her favorite brunch spot for mimosas. He knows her so well. Once at brunch, Shelby was starting to notice that Zach seemed very off that day. Moments earlier, he knocked over her mimosa, spilling it into her lap! Something had him distracted and nervous but she was still completely oblivious. She reassured him several times that it was ok and not to worry about it. By now he was wishing he had waited, but it was too late (poor guy haha). Towards the end of brunch, the waitress came to ask if they were ready for the bill and began clearing the table. When she returned with the bill, she slipped the tray onto the table between them. Shelby looked down and noticed that on it was a white box! Confused, she looked up to see Zach was now getting on his knees in the restaurant and their friends were already prepared to capture the moment. He asked her to marry him and of course she said yes! They then walked a nearby park and called all of their loved ones, followed by popping a bottle of champagne that their friends managed to sneak into her truck earlier without her noticing. Mimosa-soaked clothing and all, she wouldn’t change a thing.