It was at a New Years Eve gala in 2022, which was also Hannah's 23rd birthday party, where it all really started. The evening was spent dancing the night away with friends and much flirtation between Alan and Hannah. As everyone was dancing, the music took a quick shift to slow jazz. Alan grabbed Hannah's hand and asked her to dance. The smoothest move, that made her melt on the inside... best birthday gift EVER! Then it got even better because as we swayed to 'Unforgettable' by Nat King Cole, Hannah heard Alan say 'Hannah Joyce....' as he proceded to tell her that he really liked her and asked if she would like to go on a date with him. Hannah- not very calm cool and collected, with all of our friends watching and documenting the moment, said 'sure'.

From that first dance on, life could never be the same. We fell into the best friendship and love. It was evident on the first date, which started at a bookstore talking about favorite books and poets and once the bookstore closed, it moved to a coffee shop where the conversation did not end. Through game nights, ski dates, and nights out on the town...fun, friendship, and love flourished. 'I love you' happened in April, and 'I don't want to live without you' happened later that year. Ya'll are lucky there is a wedding, eloping was on the table before Hannah went abroad <3

Soon after we started dating, Hannah was accepted to her masters program in the UK where she went to study one year after that New Years Eve, when it all began. The relationship went long distance! But this we know, that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Alan went to visit Hannah after her first term, where we explored England and then met up with dear friends in Ireland. Alan had plans to propose to Hannah in France but in a turn of events, his passprt was stolen while in the UK which made for an adventurous start to the trip. We were both devastated by the change of plans of course... and even though Hannah's nails were done in hopes of Alan popping the question, she was now convinced it was no longer happening on this trip. After managing to get an emergency passport from the US embassy, we were able to finish our last few days of our European adventure in Ireland where we had met up with dear friends, Jay and Emma. It was the last day before the flights home and we had one more spot that Hannah mentioned she wanted to see all week- The Gap of Dunloe. Alan, the sweet man that he is, bought matching Ireland Sweatshirts for him and Hannah, and drove up to a small cafe where we were encouraged to hike the rest of the way. It was a drizzly rainy day, and all around there were waterfalls, sheep, and amazing foggy views. As we approached a bridge known as 'The Wishing Bridge', we took a few selfies and Hannah did not notice her friends hanging back. Before she knew what was happening, Alan was on one knee asking Hannah to marry him. And this time, Hannah said "YES!"