Greg had just moved home to Memphis, Tennessee. Wanting to meet new people, he joined the dating app Hinge. Both Anna and Greg felt the connection from the first couple of messages on the app! To this day it was the best thing either of them have ever found on the internet- thank you Hinge. Anna invited Greg to an afternoon at the Memphis Botanic Gardens for live music and food trucks. He responded that he had immediately bought his ticket for the event. With her dog, Sadie, by her side, Anna met Greg on the 19th of May, 2022, and their lives were never the same. They bonded over BBQ sandwiches and the sweltering heat of Memphis in May. Both Greg and Anna called their family on the drive home with high hopes and full hearts. The rest was history until July 16th, 2023!

When you know you know. From the day we met, I knew the proposal was going to have to be something as special as Anna. She deserved the day of her dreams. But where do you even start planning something like that?! You think about your partner and ask yourself, “in public?” No. “Out with friends?” Probably not. “Should family be involved?” They should definitely know, but it’d mean more if it were private. Then there’s the ring. I’m proud of that one. That actually wasn’t too tough. The tough part about the ring is the suspense of having it and not showing it to your best friend, the person you go to first for any and all gossip. I was able to keep it a secret for only so long, and I could not wait anymore. I had numerous grand ideas of how to propose and whether it was scheduling issues, issues with the summer thunderstorms in Memphis, or some other unforeseen circumstance, my “master plans” kept falling through. To this day I have two boxes of artificial rose petals in the back of my car. I decided on going back to where it all started for us. Our first date was at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, and this is where I’d ask Anna to marry me. On the morning of July 16th, it was one of our first mornings in our new house, and Anna laid out jean shorts and a t shirt, saying “we don’t have any plans today right?” I replied with, “you might want to put on something nice.” I proposed that morning and we set about FaceTiming all of her family and friends. Then we got to planning a wedding!