Towards the end of 2020, while the world was adjusting to COVID, Mallory & Antione decided to take action & fully pursue marriage. She had been praying for her future husband since 2014. He had been praying for his future wife for years but no answer was in sight. Dating in 2020 had its challenges due to restrictions in New Orleans so both decided to explore online dating. Hinge was where it all began. Mallory stumbled across it by mistaking a coworker’s phone for hers when she heard a text alert. She picked up the phone & was confused when she didn’t recognize the app notification, prompting her to download Hinge to see what it was all about. Antione was binge watching a show on Hulu one evening, he saw an ad for Hinge over a dozen times. He decided to find out if their tagline was legit, "The dating app designed to be deleted". The conversation started with a normal greeting & quickly after that, Mallory asked Antione, “What are you looking for on this app?” (She was not messing around) Antione was shocked because that question is not usually asked that early. Once he got over the shock, he respected her direct approach. They agreed that they were looking for a committed relationship ending in marriage. Their first date at Cafe Du Monde was on a chilly & windy December evening. Due to COVID, they sat outside. Despite the cold, they talked, laughed, & almost froze for 2+ hours. Going their separate ways, Mallory returned to her apartment & told her roommates that she was going to marry him. (he didn't find this out until over a year later) For Antione, he enjoyed getting to know her that night, spending time with her & was eager to see her again. (He wouldn’t have stayed in the cold that long if the date wasn’t going well) Over the next 2-½ years, they enjoyed many dates & adventures. Their #1 & most consistent dates involved sushi. They tried many sushi restaurants & even made sushi at home. A few adventures: zip lining/the beach/paddle boarding/hammocking/JAMNOLA (art exhibit)/Adventure Date Book/and many more. Dating was amazing but nothing compares to their engagement. By May 2023, Mallory had been ready & waiting on Antione to pop the question. He wanted it to be right, (he’s a bit of a perfectionist) so he planned out the next 2 weekends in preparation of asking her to marry him. Step 1, plan birthday weekend for Mallory’s 30th (Distraction from engagement) Step 2, location to ask the question (the lake) Step 3, figure out where to go afterwards to celebrate (Daiwa Sushi) Step 4, find reason to go to the lake (pics before dinner) Final step, how to capture the moment when he pops the question (love vlog) The Saturday after her birthday was here & the plan was set! Antione was ready to execute! After paddleboarding that morning & then getting ready for dinner, he picks her up and they start driving towards the lake. About 5 minutes from the lake, Antione asks if she wants to make one of the love vlogs, she agrees & starts to think of what to say. Antione began to become nervous as he saw a large group, 150+, at the lake. Mallory wasn’t worried, she was unaware of his plan. They walk out on the dock where there are 3 areas for sitting & with the first 2 being full, & not wanting others to ruin the moment, Antione becomes more nervous. As they get to the last area, a group leaves but one person lingers, laying on the bench. Mallory was ready to take pictures regardless of the person being there but Antione insisted that they wait until he leaves. The man eventually left so they took a few pictures & then sat on the bench to make the video. Antione sets up his phone & they start recording. Mallory starts & finishes, then Antione starts & she knew something was up because of the way he was talking. Antione finally gets to the big moment & says, “Mallory it is 8 days past your birthday and I have 8 words to show you how much I love you. Mallory I love you, will you marry me?” She said yes & the rest is still being written!