Jessica and Cameron met as students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During their freshmen year, they were friendly and greeted each other when they saw each other around campus from time to time. But it wasn’t until their sophomore year that they really got to know each other. Coincidentally, Jessica and Cameron both made the decision to study Broadcast Journalism in the College of Media, so naturally, they had class together. Jessica’s most memorable takeaway from that year was Cameron’s nonchalant demeanor and outspoken opinions. Jessica was never too fond of Cameron's antics, but admired his confidence and willingness to always go out of his way to offer her a helping hand. During their junior year, Jessica and Cameron became good friends. The two would occasionally grab lunch and discuss upcoming class projects together. However, in their senior year, things started to pick up. Cameron would text Jessica daily motivational quotes and check-in to ensure Jessica was aware that he was interested. There were even times where he sacrificed sleep in order to help her with bulletin boards and various RA duties, despite frequent road trips with the Illini Football team and living ten minutes off-campus. Unbeknownst to Jessica, Cameron had a crush on her since freshman year! It wasn't until winter break that Cameron (finally!) revealed his true feelings in a heartfelt text message. When they arrived back on campus, they became inseparable. Soon Cameron, trembling voice and all, asked Jessica to become his girlfriend and to his surprise, she said yes!

Cameron is all about capturing the moment so when he asked Jessica to do an impromptu photo shoot, she had no choice but to say yes! So on a cold December morning, Jessica and Cameron woke up bright and early for the shoot! Cameron seemed excited and Jessica was nervous and cranky, with no idea what to expect. Already stressed about wardrobe choice and her overall fear of being in front of the camera, Jessica continued to remind herself that this was a memory-creating moment for Cameron, and she would have to suck it up. Upon their arrival to the majestic Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier, it seemed that Cameron was immediately in his element striking poses. As Cameron and the photographer simultaneously discussed camera angles and their impending plans for the new year, Jessica stood awkwardly wondering what was happening (but actually, she was stressing about how to smize). As Cameron was listing off cliché New Year's Resolutions, he alerted the photographer that there was one very important thing he had to do before 2019 came to an end. Cameron gently grabbed Jessica's hands, led her to the center of the garden, and lovingly gazed into her eyes. As Cameron began to recall the growth and the bond they formed over the past 6 1/2 years of their relationship, realization slowly set in for Jessica that something BIG was about to happen. Jessica's heart expanded 5X its size as Cameron continued to beautifully describe their journey together up till this point. Finally, Cameron released Jessica's hands, reached into his bag to pull out a box, and got down on one knee. Jessica squealed with glee as Cameron asked her to be his official partner for life, his wife!! Jessica immediately, and obviously, said yes! And what went from a regular, nerve-inducing photo shoot turned into a surprise proposal photo shoot! Unbeknownst to Jessica, Cameron had also arranged for both of their families to arrive minutes after popping the question! It was truly an unforgettable day. <3