It all began in late 2016. Emily was visiting her cousin in San Diego when she got a follow request on Instagram from a mysterious stranger. With his diamond studs and white wife-beater, Taylor's Instagram profile picture was the first thing to catch Emily's attention. It wasn't long after that a text followed and then another and another. As soon as Emily returned to Colorado, she instantly became a regular at the gym where Taylor was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Every night she wore a full face of makeup and curled her hair just to make sure Taylor paid attention. After a full week of grueling workouts (that Taylor now says had to be done to ensure she "made the cut"), she finally convinced him to take her on a date. It didn't take long for Emily to realize he was someone special. A couple of days later Emily was supposed to fly home to North Carolina for a full 2 weeks for Christmas. As Emily's mom would say, she was already obsessed with Taylor and wasn't exactly pleasant to be around that holiday since all she could think about was getting back to Colorado to see Taylor.

2 1/2 years and a cross-country move later, Taylor and Emily have found themselves in Tampa, Florida. One Friday after working out, Taylor suggested they get dressed to go get drinks downtown. Since they usually eat in on Fridays and lounge in their sweatpants, Emily was reluctant to dress up but decided to humor him. When they arrived downtown, they pulled into a parking lot that cost $20 to park. Emily knew something was up when Taylor was insistent that they park there (he's the saver and she's the spender in the relationship). They walked across the street to the Riverwalk and took a lap around, looking at the river and all the flowers Emily was sweating profusely and kept complaining that they should just leave because it was so hot. Taylor wanted to look at one of the gardens so they walked up to the top of the Riverwalk. Cue Taylor refusing to make eye contact with Emily and pacing around the garden. As soon as he grabbed Emily's hands, she knew everything was about to change. After a lot of tears (by Emily) and a lot of nervous sweating (by Taylor), she, of course, said yes and proceeded to call everyone they knew to share the great news!