Erin grew up in Holt, Michigan, twenty minutes away from Michigan State University and has been a diehard Spartan since birth. Mark grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just twenty minutes away from University of Michigan and was a Wolverine. People from Michigan know the stereotype that Spartans and Wolverines couldn’t possibly be together. Fortunately, Mark decided to attend college at Michigan State University and they both auditioned for the Spartan Marching Band before their freshman year. For three years Mark and Erin saw each other from a distance, but never talked in depth. Two weeks after the first football game of their senior season, Mark messaged Erin. Mark asked Erin on a date: coffee and Sparty Watch, the most band nerd date possible. Mark asked Erin to be his girlfriend on November 7th, 2021 (just 11 days after their first date) and have been together ever since. Erin and Mark have enjoyed traveling across the country on Spartan Marching Band trips to Atlanta, as well as personal trips to Florida, and Chicago. They love spending time Up North in Traverse City and Frankfort every summer with their families. Mark adopted Erin's cat, Reya, when they moved in together in the Summer of 2023. Erin and Mark enjoy playing with Reya, hosting friends at their home, cheering on MSU sports, and swapping funny school stories together in their free time. Mark proposed in Chicago on a Spring Break trip on March 27th with the help of their close friend Veronica Klingel. They are so ready to spend the rest of their lives together and celebrate their marriage with their friends and family!