Kerren and Alex both attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland-- but no, they weren't high school sweethearts. In fact, they didn't even know the other existed until after they both graduated! During Kerren's junior year at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and Alex's sophomore year at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, they both came home for winter break and met while bowling with mutual friends. From there, Kerren and Alex developed a friendship and would frequently text from across the country. Kerren graduated from Muhlenberg in 2018 and moved back to Maryland, where she joined a startup company to lead their energy efficiency program. Alex graduated from Lewis & Clark one year later and moved back to DC to work for the Sierra Club. No longer on opposite coasts, Kerren and Alex were excited to hang out more frequently. Their weekly bar trivia meetups and weekend hangouts were cut short in March 2020 when the pandemic hit and Alex flew home to his family, who had recently moved from Maryland to Phoenix, Arizona. Once again, the distance didn't stop Kerren and Alex from growing their friendship. They texted each other throughout the day and spent every Monday evening facetiming each other while playing an online version of bar trivia. Alex flew back to DC in the fall of 2020, and after quarantining in his apartment he finally got to spend time with Kerren in person again. With everything shut down in the pandemic, Kerren and Alex spent every weekend watching movies and playing games in Kerren's apartment. Soon, their relationship turned into more than just friendship-- and none of their friends or family were surprised. When Alex told his best friend (and now best man) Carlos that he wanted to ask Kerren to be his girlfriend, Carlos responded: "You'd be an idiot if you didn't ask her out." After years of sushi dates, hiking trips, and family vacations, Kerren and Alex decided to move in together in 2024. That same year, they adopted their wonderfully goofy dog, Sable.

Shortly before leaving for the Cohen family's annual vacation to Maine, where many generations of Alex's family are from and still live, Alex let friends and family know he planned to propose to Kerren on their trip. After a short hike out to a beach in Wells Maine, Alex distracted Kerren by pointing out some local wildlife while he got the ring (a family heirloom, made by his great grandfather, a jeweler and silversmith). To Kerren's complete surprise (and no one else's!) Alex asked Kerren to marry him and to keep adventuring with him the rest of their lives, all while his family took photos of the moment. Surrounded by beautiful nature and family, Kerren said yes, and the happy couple celebrated with champagne and lobster rolls at a restaurant nearby.