Jordan and Kiara’s love story began the way all great romances do — in Kindergarten, surrounded by juice boxes, snack time, and tiny chairs at Akron School. Sparks flew (or at least crayons), and legend has it that Jordan took one look at Kiara and immediately asked his buddy Darrien, “Who is THAT?” Darrien, being the loyal cousin he is, responded, “That’s my cousin, Kiara.” To which Jordan, age 5 and already full of confidence, replied, “Oh, she is HOT!” (Yes, hot. At age five.) Naturally, Darrien sprinted to Kiara and told her everything. Jordan was so mortified by the whole event that he didn’t talk to her again until senior year of high school. (A 12-year recovery period… very healthy.) Throughout the years, the crush never really went away. Kiara’s family would tease her because she came home from school talking about “Jordan Herder” on the regular — which she completely denied, obviously. Meanwhile, Jordan was secretly scribbling “Kiara” all over his notebook like a true middle school rom-com star. His dad caught a glimpse once, and Jordan panicked, snatching the notebook like it held classified government secrets. Even Jordan’s grandpa, Lynn Shook, called it early: “That Kiara girl — you’re gonna marry her one day.” And wouldn’t you know it, Grandpa Lynn was right. Kiara was a cutie. (Still is!) And now… they are getting married! After graduating from Akron High, Jordan dove straight into the workforce, while Kiara went to the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. They powered through long-distance dating — lots of highway miles, lots of FaceTime calls, and lots of weekends trying to cram a whole relationship into 48 hours. Kiara earned her degree (go girl!), then moved back to Akron — which, conveniently, is where Jordan was still living. Not long after, they bought their first home together in July 2022, along with two furry sidekicks: Hash and Archie, who now run the house. Jordan works at Hayes Aviation, and Kiara helps people through her work at the Washington County Department of Human Services. Together, they’ve been building a life full of love, laughter, and dog hair. Then came June 16, 2024 — the day Jordan popped the question. The setting: Arrowhead Golf Course in Littleton. The vibes: Kiara playing like a pro. Jordan? Not so much. Something was clearly off… he was weirdly quiet (a red flag on a golf course), and even passed on hot wings at lunch — which is basically unheard of. Turns out, he had a ring burning a hole in his pocket and was trying to propose mid-round… but the right moment never came. He didn’t exactly trust the two drunk strangers in their group to snap photos of the big moment either. So after the round, Jordan got creative. He ran into the clubhouse, found a random woman, and asked if she’d drive them back to hole 13 (the iconic spot where Kiara’s ball soared from the men’s tee box and landed on the green — while Jordan’s ricocheted off a sandstone boulder and into the wilderness). The woman hesitated… until Jordan dropped the “I’m gonna propose” hint, at which point she got very excited and turned into their personal proposal chauffeur. And there, on hole 13, Jordan got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and Kiara said YES! Fast forward through wedding planning, Pinterest boards, and decision fatigue… Jordan and Kiara will elope privately in beautiful Moab, Utah, in September 2025. But don’t worry — the real party is back home, where they’ll celebrate with all the amazing people who’ve supported them on this journey. (Yes, that means YOU.) The rest of their story is still being written, but one thing’s for sure: it started in Kindergarten… and it’s just getting good. ❤️