December 2020. Quarantine is in full swing; it's been almost a year since anyone could go out for dinner, meet up with friends for a drink, or visit family whenever they felt like it. Mel is living alone in a studio apartment in Center City and working from home, some days not even leaving their apartment at all. Shane is living in Fairmount and still going to work every day at Our House Montessori, bravely navigating this new landscape of life with Covid. One fateful day, just before Christmas, the two match on Hinge. Mel goes in with the first message: Hey, you are cute. Despite the weak opening line, Shane responds and a casual conversation ensues. They talk about what they do for work, where they live, and their hobbies (Musical Theater). Shane and Mel learn they have a LOT in common, including the fact that they are both Leos. Shane cracks a joke, asking if a December wedding sounds good to Mel. They responded yes, that sounds perfect. The conversation moves from Hinge messages to Instagram DMs to FaceTime calls. They managed to get one (covid safe) hangout in on New Year's Eve before the reality of the pre-vaccine world got in the way. That, however, did not stop their love story from unfolding. Shane was the first person Mel would text every morning and Shane always FaceTimed Mel during their break at work. Their weekends often consisted of FaceTiming on their phones while pressing play at the exact same time on their TVs so they could watch a movie together. The pair spent countless hours laughing and getting to know each other through their phones. Soon enough, May 2021 rolled around, the warmer weather allowed for outdoor dates, and vaccines became available. Shane and Mel made sure to spend that summer making up for long, cold, virtual winter they endured. They enjoyed plenty of outdoor concerts, dinner dates, and movie nights cuddled up on the couch. It wasn't long before Mel knew that Shane was their person, their forever person. And it was clear Shane felt the same exact way about Mel.

Mel had been plotting this proposal for some time now. They had the idea of how they wanted to propose about 6 months into dating and was determined to pull it off perfectly. Mel gathered 13 of the couple's closest friends and rented a karaoke room. The group enjoyed hours of laughing, singing, drinking, and having a blast. As the time at the karaoke room was coming to an end, Mel asked Shane to sing a duet with them; I'll Cover You from RENT. A classic love song from one of their favorite musicals. They sang their hearts out and as the last notes started to fade out, Mel got down on one knee and presented Shane with a ring asking "Will you marry me?". Shane, through their absolute shock, managed to get out a "yes!" and the room erupted into cheers. The group enjoyed one final song, a beautiful rendition of I Can Hear the Bells from Hairspray performed by our very own Charlie Barney, before heading back to his apartment to meet the rest of our friends and family to celebrate the occasion!