BUMBLE NOTIFICATION FROM JAY - November 24, 2022 Hey hey! What did you get up to today? Little did they know, that Thanksgiving evening message was the start of something neither of them could have imagined at first swipe. After a week and a half of texting (and one inebriated midnight phone call), they met at Sliders in Berlin for the first time. There was a bit of Bumble-ing on the first date, as well. Josh leaned in for a hug and found himself stepping on Jaclyn's toes, not quite the first impression he had imagined, be she found it quite endearing. They closed the bar down and sat in Josh's truck until 2AM, just letting sparks fly as the conversation flowed effortlessly. She was funny, he was charming, it was seamless. Before long, he had a near-constant presence on her iPhone calendar, her holy-grail of time management... all of which went a bit out the window as soon as he suggested a plan. Their second date was even more magical than their first, opening with a tour through early-December Christmas lights and closing with a trip to the Truck Bar, where she schooled him in 8-Ball before asking him, in her joking-but-not way, why he hadn't kissed her yet. She liked him, it seemed like he liked her, what was the hold up? "I was going to!" he protested, surprised. "Mhmm," she rolled her eyes. "Sure. I'll believe it when I see it." He didn't waste a second more before pulling her in right there in the middle of the bar, pool cues in hand, like something straight off the silver screen. A few more kisses have been shared since, but the spark, the magic, and how deeply entertained they are by each other has only amplified. And here we are. - Jaclyn

After weeks of listening, but pretending like I wasn’t, I knew exactly what to look for. I spent a few days searching through different websites and different stores before I was able to find the perfect ring to propose with. I placed the order and spent three weeks waiting for it to be built. When I received it and opened the package, I saw that it was more beautiful than I ever thought it was going to be and realized this is the start of our life together.

After picking out the ring, which was step one, step two was building up enough courage to ask Jaclyn’s father permission to marry his daughter. It took about two weeks to build enough courage before I texted and asked him if he was able to look at my car because it was making a weird noise. He said sure, come on over. As I drove in, I saw Greg and a tech waiting outside the shop with a bay open for me to pull in. I parked on the side of the building and said I need you to come over here and check it out. As he walked over, he asked if I would like to take a drive so we can listen and I said I’m actually not here about my car. I’m here to speak about your daughter. I told him how much I loved her and how much she means to me and was able to utter out, “I would like to ask your permission to marry your daughter”. He looked at me and said, “of course.”

After a few weeks of searching for the perfect place, I found one online that looked too good to be true. I drove to Wickham Park in Manchester to check it out and as soon as I pulled in, I knew this was the place I was going to pop the question. It was a beautiful garden all around with different areas to walk through. As I was walking through, I saw one spot that had beautiful arches and knew, once I stood in there, that was the place I was going to ask the question, but I knew I was going to need help. I asked my favorite niece, who I knew would never say no and would love to be a part of it, Julia. She was able to help me not only talk through it and plan it all out, but also helped set everything up the day of. She set up a hidden camera and the roses that I bought with the ring inside. At first, I told Jaclyn we were going to a car meet and to get breakfast. When we pulled in the park, she had no idea what was going on. As we started walking up, I started to talk before I started tearing up, as she did as well. She looked at me and said, “I hope you’re not joking. This is a cruel joke.” I said, “I’m not joking,” as we walked up. I stopped; she stopped. I reached down in the roses and grabbed the ring, turned around and looked at her, got down on one knee before I said, “Jaclyn, will you marry me?” She said yes immediately. I stood up and she grabbed me and hugged me. Once she let go, I was able to put the ring on my future wife’s finger and from that day forward, I knew, I am going to be the happiest man in the world. - Josh