We’re getting married!

Mads and Tom are high school sweethearts who met on a blind date to Tom’s homecoming on September 30, 2017. What started as Mads’ ticket into hanging out with friends at a new school quickly turned into something neither of them expected. From that night on, they’ve been inseparable, growing up, growing together, and falling more in love every step of the way.

On a trip back home to Illinois, Mads and Tom took a weekend detour to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for Mads’ work and stayed in a beautiful cabin tucked away in the mountains. The weekend was filled with exploring, great food, getting stuck on a gondola during a rainstorm, and even a failed hiking attempt thanks to Mother Nature. Unbeknownst to Mads, Tom was trying to propose the entire time, but every plan was foiled by the weather. On their final evening, after dinner, Mads was exhausted and ready to head back to the cabin with an early travel day ahead. Tom insisted on stopping at the mountain overlooks one more time, saying, “I think it’ll be worth it.” As the sun began to set, they hopped between overlooks, taking photos and searching for the perfect quiet moment with no one else around. At the last overlook, Mads was ready to head home, but Tom asked to stay just a little longer. After a few minutes of “it’s time to go home,” Tom finally said, “Okay, but before we go, would you do me a favor?” And just like that, he asked her to marry him. Mads sobbed, they laughed, and it took a while for her to choke out her yes. After suspecting it might happen earlier in the weekend and then assuming the weather had ruined the plan entirely, she was completely surprised. It was perfectly imperfect, and entirely them.