Our story starts nearly a decade ago…back in November 2016. Luci was a junior at UMKC and Jay was a freshman. We were part of the same school organization and had both volunteered to help set up for a professional event. This was the first time we met each other, even though one of Luci’s really good friends—Raj—was not only Jay’s cousin, but his roommate! After the event, a group of us went back to Raj and Jay’s apartment to hang out; this is where Luci and Jay started getting to know each other a bit more and we exchanged numbers…but “only as friends.” (Truly, only as friends at this point.) The following week, Luci went to Paris on vacation to visit her friend studying abroad. The whole time she was in Paris, we texted constantly, just getting to know each other. While in Paris, Luci started watching the T.V. show, Suits—one of Jay’s all-time favorite shows. When Luci came back to the U.S., she used Suits as an excuse to hang out with Jay...but “only as friends.” This went on for several weeks and right before Christmas 2016, we finally had “the talk” and Jay asked Luci to be his girlfriend! Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into…

We started talking the night we met—November 11, 2026—and really haven’t stopped since. What started out as friends bonding over Suits turned into nearly a decade together, and we’re just getting started. Spending nearly 1/3 of our lives together, we’ve grown up and have experienced a lot of life together. We both graduated undergrad; Luci graduated law school; we did long-distance for 1 ½ years; survived a global pandemic; experienced family deaths and new additions; supported each other in our careers; traveled the world together; survived two different surgeries & recovery (appendicitis & fully torn ACL); and most recently, built a new house! We’ve laughed and cried together, supported each other through the highest of highs and lowest of lows...it's about time we officially became husband & wife!

At the end of an extremely hard year (Luci fully tore her ACL in February 2024 and had complications that followed), we were both itching to go on vacation before the end of the year. We planned a 2-week trip to Europe for the beginning of December to see some of the famous European Christmas markets. Leading up to the trip, the ring had sat tucked away in our closet for almost 7 months. I had asked more times than I’d like to admit when Jay was going to propose, and if he was going to propose while we were on vacation. I didn’t want to get my hopes up or ruin the trip with the expectation of a proposal—and I just really had to make sure his answer wasn’t going to change. His answer every time was “no” and he’d brush it off, saying it would be “sometime next year.” In fact, at one point, he told me there was a “0% chance” he was going to propose while we were on vacation—it was purely a vacation to celebrate the tough year we just had. Little did I know, Jay had been working on a suprise of a lifetime! The day we landed in Paris, Jay told me he had an activity planned for us the next morning…at 9am, and we had to look nice. Neither of us are morning people, especially when dealing with jet lag! The next morning, on December 2, 2024, I woke up bright & early and got ready for his surprise. I had no idea what it was, despite playing 20 questions trying to figure it out. I was excited (and impressed) that he had planned something for us to do that wasn’t already on the itinerary. Jay was antsy in our hotel room the whole time he was getting ready, looking out the window and monitoring the rainy weather, even though he was adamant that “rain wouldn’t ruin the surprise.” Jay got us a taxi so we didn’t get too wet; it drizzled the whole time we were in the taxi. Almost immediately after the taxi dropped us off on a bridge – Pont de Bir-Hakeim – the rain stopped, and the sun started peeking through the sky. We had been dropped off at a bridge lookout, above the Seine River and overlooking the Eiffel Tower. For a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, there were only 3 other people there: a couple and a photographer. I took a few pictures of the Eiffel Tower myself and turned towards Jay to have him take my picture. When I turned, he was on his knee with the ring box out! To say I was surprised was an understatement; I couldn’t believe it was finally happening! Not only did Jay plan the surprise proposal, he also found a local photographer to capture the moment and worked with the photographer to find the perfect spot. The perfect location, the perfect proposal, the perfect ring, and the perfect guy. What more could a girl ask for?!