Dating apps always seemed kinda scary in my mind. The unknown of who you were talking to and meeting a random person seemed rather intimidating. That being said I knew I wasn’t meeting anyone with what I was doing. I thought about it for months and did some research on the different apps out there. Finally with some encouragement from a friend I downloaded and started using Bumble. I knew if I wanted to find someone with similar beliefs and lifestyle to my own, I was going to be picky with who I matched with. Very few men fit into my “qualifications” but Allen was one of them. From the time we started messaging on the app, I knew that we had a connection. He was easy to talk to and his kindness showed through even before I met him. He asked me out on March 31st and our first date was April 6th. I had to change our first date plans (he’ll tell you that he thought I was going to skip out on him), but we ended up meeting for dinner and spent several hours talking. The connection we had over messaging carried over into our in person conversation and I think we both knew something long term could come of this. Now just a year later we’re planning our wedding and September 5th can’t come soon enough.

A little over 9 months into dating and it was time to have “The Talk” with her dad. I wanted to keep this a secret from Alyssa so I could keep the engagement more of a surprise. Her dad came to my house and he had to shut his phone off to keep her from seeing his location. We had a good conversation confirming we were ready for the engagement. First I had to get the ring. I had to tell Alyssa I was running errands while I shopped around for a ring. After getting the ring, I needed to work with her sister on finding a hike for the engagement location. We then scouted out the location for proposal spots. I had brought Alyssa’s dog with us for her “walk” while Alyssa was at work. It’s March 1st and it’s a beautiful day. Alyssa, Bethany, and I go on our hike. We walk around the pond and take a few pictures. Then we get to the spot. We take our picture and then I give Bethany the cue. I get down on one knee and grab Alyssa’s hand. I tell her how much I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her. The ring is presented and placed on her finger. She says yes and we hug and take photos. The engagement was a success.