It was the summer of 2015 when Hannah & a few of her friends hopped on Eric's boat. She was relatively new to the Lake Geneva area but Eric, raised on Geneva Lake, was able to show Hannah what #lakelife was all about. Hannah caught on fairly quickly to wake-boarding, but Eric exhibited tremendous patience while teaching Hannah to wake-surf. It wasn't love at first sight, but it was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Over the years, Eric and Hannah had a slow-growing friendship. They had several mutual friends, so they'd frequently see each other around campus or at parties. Then towards the end of 2017, their friends decided to take a 3 week trip to Thailand. This trip was full of exploring, learning, laughing, and building friendships. In 2018, Hannah was looking for a place to live for her last semester of undergrad and, as luck would have it, Eric and his roommates had an extra spot. All of a sudden, Eric and Hannah became roomies where they stayed up late talking about life and inevitably becoming very close. It wasn't until Hannah moved out of the apartment after she graduated that Eric told her how much he cared for her. At the time, Hannah said she didn't feel the same way, but it got her thinking about how well they got along; it didn't take long before she decided she felt the same way.

Once they started dating, their love grew quickly. It only took Eric about a month to tell Hannah he was in love with her, and luckily she said it back. A few months later, they took a trip to Europe with their friends where they experienced new cities and cultures together. After half a year of long distance, they decided to move in together down in Arizona where Hannah was studying. Hannah would continue vet school while Eric worked remotely for the tech startup he founded. Their relationship was battle tested by the pandemic, multiple cross country road trips and adopting another amazing, but slightly crazy, dog. To their surprise, they also became fans of two-step dancing and country music. Eric made a video of their trip to Europe. Copy the following link into your browser to watch: https://youtu.be/DAvwI7tFb4A

When Eric and Hannah moved down to Phoenix, they didn't know what to expect. Would they golf everyday? Take up cactus gardening? While they didn't end up doing either of those, they did fall in love with a little place called the Roadrunner Saloon. This honky-tonk, bull-riding bar was a source of many fun Saturday nights. Eric and Hannah acquired the necessary attire and learned enough dance moves to be dangerous. Eric decided to propose to Hannah here because he felt it embodied the idea that you love what you love, even if you don't see it coming. Just as he and Hannah didn't see each other romantically for years, they certainly couldn't have guessed they'd get engaged at a dusty bull-riding bar in the desert outside Phoenix, Arizona. Eric made a video of this whole event. Copy the following link into your browser to watch: https://www.tiktok.com/@eschirtz/video/7134979559920831787

Traveling has been a passion of Eric and Hannah's since they met; it was only fitting that they have a destination wedding. Eric and Hannah will be getting married in Scotland next April. Before doing so, they wanted to get all their family and friends together to party and celebrate their love. We would love for you all to join us on September 9th, 2023 at the LaBarge Family Cabin. There will be food, drinks, live music, a dance floor, and other activities. Can't wait to see you there!