Lexie and Trevor lived across the street from one another for eight years. EIGHT YEARS! If you had asked us to name our favorite bars and restaurants before we met, we probably would have given you the exact same list. So it only makes sense that we would have bumped into each other at one of those, right? WRONG. What modern day romance would be complete without being able to say, "We met on an app."? For us, it was Hinge. Trevor "liked" a picture of Lexie's dog and Lexie "liked" a picture of Trevor hugging a giant cupcake...and the rest is history.

His Version: I told Lexie that a coworker of mine who does photography had someone cancel so if we wanted to get a Holiday Card Photoshoot on the cheap, now's the time. The "open time slot" was Friday afternoon, the same Friday afternoon we were closing on their newly purchased lot. So why not take some photos of us on the lot so we could do their first Christmas card together (the card never happened by the way)? On 12.1.23 we signed the papers to close on our lot and then headed there for a photoshoot. My buddy and I had rehearsed the timing and he had even reminded me to "go down on your right knee if you can...it'll look better in the photos". When the time came, Lexie had her back to me and I went down on my left knee. So then I had to switch to the right knee before she turned around But for a brief moment, I found myself on both knees and the photographer snagged a picture of the "moment before the moment" where it looks like I'm begging her to take me. It's still my favorite photo...you can see the fear in my eyes. But I pulled it together and said something like, "This is where we're going to build our house together. It's where we'll build our life together. And now it'll be where I proposed. Will you marry me?" Then she cried, but I think she said yes so we celebrated with our first cake tasting (I had a bakery make a bunch of cake samples that I paired with different drinks that represented some of our favorite dates and trips. But the cake tasting was (and is) the part of wedding planning I liked the most. Her Version: He totally blew it when he mentioned "getting a manicure" a few days prior so I was already on high alert. But the story about the photographer was convincing enough. I got dressed that day thinking "today's the day" but when we started doing an actual photoshoot and I couldn't see a ring box in his pocket, I started to have doubts. I remember thinking "If he doesn't ask now, he's an idiot. This is perfect." The photographer asked me to turn around and I heard all sorts of rustling behind me. When I turned back he was on one knee. I tried my hardest to focus on what he was saying even though all I could think was "THIS IS IT!"

We had only been dating for less than 5 months when Lexie joined Trevor and his family on a trip to Colorado. We met some of Trevor's extended family and spent a lot of quality time with immediate family. We explored Breckenridge together (where Trevor used to go for family ski trips). And we celebrated New Years Eve together. And it all just felt...right. Both of us knew after that trip that we had found our person. One of us even used the "L word" for the first time, by accident. But SOMEONE needed a little more time before being able to say it out loud (and on purpose).