In 2009, Ali and Alex were introduced by groomsman, Derek, at the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house at Ferris State University. Conversation came easy between them and it was even discovered that they had matching caribou shaped carabineers from Caribou Coffee! With Ali's time dedicated to pharmacy school and Alex thinking that Ali was far out of his league, the two wouldn't reconnect until four years later. After the two had their official first date, it was clear to them both that they wanted to start dating. With Alex living in Washington, DC and Ali finishing pharmacy school in Grand Rapids, MI, the distance made it challenging. So after graduation, Ali landed a pharmacy job in Baltimore and eventually moved to a pharmacy in DC. She still insists that she didn't move for Alex, but we all know the truth...

Michigan is home to Ali and Alex, so that's where Alex knew that the proposal had to take place. Alex loves to surprise Ali, so Alex thought of the best reason possible to make the trip home. His plan was to get her back to the park where they went on their first date without spoiling the surprise. Le Tour de Troit is a scenic 30 mile bike ride around Detroit, and happened to be the day after Ali's September birthday, so that was Alex's reason for the two to visit home. Ali was slightly disappointed because they had originally planned to go to a wine and oyster festival, but little did she know what the weekend would bring for the couple. Alex brought his dad (Allen) and brother in on the plan because he needed help keeping the secret. After Le Tour de Troit, Adam and Paige drove to Booth Park in Birmingham and hid in the playground with a camera to wait and capture the proposal. Allen brought his car to Detroit for Alex and Ali to drive to Birmingham with the ring carefully hidden in the console. Alex convinced Ali that Saunders' ice cream was "World Famous" and worth the side-trip after the bike ride. Ali will admit that it doesn't take much to convince her to get ice cream, so the situation seemed normal to her. After picking up Saunders' ice cream, Alex led Ali on a walk to Booth Park and sat at the same bench where they had lunch on their first date. After suggesting they head to the playground, Alex spun Ali around, told her how much she meant to him, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him! She said YES!