We first met at work, where Eric was an assistant and Katherine was a manager. Our relationship started as strictly professional, but life had other plans. When a last-minute trip to Eric's hometown in Alaska (and a fake engagement—long story!) threw us together, we saw sides to each other we hadn’t noticed before. Somewhere between sharing hilarious, unexpected adventures, our pretend engagement turned into something real. What began as a twist of fate became the love story we never saw coming. Just kidding, we met on Hinge! What really brought us together was our love for our dogs, our competitive streak during board games, our joy of watching movies (like The Proposal), and our shared mission to keep each other laughing. Since our first date at Katherine's favorite Mexican restaurant, we haven’t wanted to go a day without talking. It all started with Katherine’s profile line, “There’s too much blood in my caffeine stream,” which Eric found hilarious. And although Eric doesn't drink coffee, that didn't stop him from mastering homemade cold brew — complete with roasted hazelnut syrup and freshly whipped cold foam — to find the way to her heart. With every laugh, game night, and playful moment spent with Koda and Shiloh, our story keeps getting better.

One of our favorite traditions is planning monthly date nights with new experiences, so when Eric suggested a trip to a beautiful garden in Georgetown, Katherine didn’t think twice. As someone who adores gardens, she was thrilled, and completely unaware that Eric had been secretly planning this moment for months. When we arrived, Katherine was enchanted by the flowers, walkways, and paths, stopping to admire everything. Meanwhile, Eric was sweating. He had the perfect spot in mind — a stunning archway of wisterias he’d seen online — but couldn’t find it anywhere. To make things even more nerve-wracking, our friends were covertly trailing us with a hidden camera, ducking behind trees and bushes as we wandered through the gardens. Finally, Eric spotted the wisterias. He swiftly pulled Katherine off the main trail, positioned her beneath the blooms, and began to speak. The next part is a blur for both of us (we were so overwhelmed with emotion!) but Eric gave the most heartfelt speech before getting down on one knee. It was perfect. But Eric wasn’t done yet. After Katherine said yes, he told her there was one more surprise. Blindfolded and buzzing with excitement, Katherine had no idea where they were going. When the blindfold came off, she found herself at a surprise engagement party filled with family and friends who had traveled from near and far to celebrate with us. Eric had been planning this for months, and seeing everyone there to share in our joy made it the best day of our lives. Now, we’re so excited to celebrate the next best day of our lives...with all of you!