Katie and Trevor first caught a glimpse of each other in July of 2020 on the dating app HINGE (highly recommended ;). After Katie's scheduled backpacking trip and Trevor's kayaking adventures, they finally had a chance to go on their first date. Katie was living in Portland, OR at the time and Trevor was living in the Columbia River Gorge. Hopping into her car with a cooler full of fancy snacks and beer, she set out to meet Trevor for a causal paddleboard picnic. With an instant connection and the exchanging of travel and adventure stories, both parties were intrigued with each others authentic and playful demeanor. Following the picnic they spontaneously decided to take the opportunity to go wakeboarding on a friend's boat. Trevor was impressed by Katie's willingness to try something new and Katie was just excited that she decided to wear waterproof mascara that day! It started there and blossomed over the next year as they lived in different areas of the Pacific Northwest. Katie had the chance to escape the city and join Trevor on outdoor rafting, kayaking, and hiking adventures while Trevor got to experience the city life of diverse food options, themed bike rides, and live music. It was a great balance for the both of them. Although these two were having a blast playing and celebrating their love all over the Pacific Northwest, their relationship grew more serious. At this point Katie had traveled to Montana to meet Trevor's family and celebrate his sister's wedding and Trevor bravely traveled to Massachusetts to spend a week at the beach with Katie's family. Following their return from Massachusetts, the couple had a lazy morning sipping coffee going out for a fancy brunch and strolling through Forest Park. Deciding what their next move for the day would be, Katie suggested getting some champagne and charcutier and going paddle boarding. In bliss from the day, Trevor recognized this was the time to propose! As the couple paddled through blustery winds along the Willamette River, they pulled up to an island where they laid down their blanket. As a family of kayakers were pulling up to the same location, Trevor grumbled something to them and they scrammed. Katie was a bit confused and thought it was odd that he was so upset that other people wanted to share this public space but as she finished setting up the picnic and turned around to Trevor on one knee. She then understood. Because the couple had never discussed marriage, this was a big surprise for Katie and she was in disbelief....maybe hit him gently a few times to make sure he was real! She said yes and the rest is history <3 There have been no challenges too great for this duo. As Trevor and Katie get to know each other deeper, they recognize that although fun and playfulness are their strengths, this relationship and marriage will require solid communication, flexibility and commitment in order to continue to grow together. We couldn’t be more excited to marry our best friend and are appreciative of each other for pushing us to be the best versions of ourselves.