Mat and I's love story began at a place where we least expected it to be...the Dakota Dome at The University of South Dakota during freshmen orientation in August of 2017. Me and my roommate Molly approached Mat and his roommate Jackson because they were the only ones in the entire freshmen class NOT wearing USD's 'Class of 2021' red t-shirts. After our conversation amongst the four of us, Molly and I left secretly hoping we would see these boys again. Our prayers were answered when we found out the boys' dorm was two floors below ours. As time went on, the four of us spent almost all of our freshmen days together from studying at the library to eating at the MUC. However, Mat and I's friendship always had a little romance just waiting to surface. The summer after freshmen year, Mat visited me in my hometown and asked me to be his girlfriend. Spending our college experience together is something we will cherish forever. Fraternity formals and date parties aside, these four years allowed Mat and I to develop a relationship we couldn't live without. Although our lives after college were unknown, we both knew we still wanted to choose one another each and every day. Upon graduation in May of 2021, Mat and I had to navigate a long-distance relationship since Mat was working in Minnesota and I was in Omaha pursuing my nursing degree. For a year and a half, Mat used his entire PTO to visit me and I spent every school break visiting him. After graduating in December of 2022, we were finally able to begin our life together in Minnesota. Building a life together in Minnesota was a dream we have been wishing for many years. We were learning adulthood together and having some fun along the way. For my 25th birthday, Mat gifted me plane tickets to New York City for a little weekend getaway in October. NYC is a place that has been on both of our bucket lists and we were so excited to be able to cross it off together! Little did I know that Mat had some other plans for our trip. On a beautiful crisp Saturday morning in Central Park, Mat got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was the easiest ‘Yes’ of my life. We are so beyond happy to begin this new chapter of our lives and we are so excited for all of our loved ones to be able to witness and celebrate the beginning of our marriage! With Love, The Future Mr. and Mrs. Kraines