Melody and Mason met at a church dinner in little Orange City, Iowa. Although Mason did not attend the church, he was a college student and would rarely turn down the opportunity for a free meal. Melody was a youth group leader at the church and was with one friend at the time, which meant seats were open for Mason and two of his roommates. While there was great conversation between the two, it wasn’t until Melody reached out the week before Valentine’s Day that they started talking on a daily basis. Mason asked Melody to be his valentine, and went to see her in a school sponsored hip hop dance performance. They’ve been inseparable since.

After several years together, Mason knew that he wanted to marry Melody. In August of 2019, he purchased a sapphire ring. Two months later, knowing that Melody always wanted to visit Tulum, he purchased flights to Cancun and several Tulum tours. When Melody questioned why she needed the days off of work, Mason told her that they were going to a San Diego resort for Chinese New Year. The week before, he showed her a video that revealed the true location of the trip. On the vacation, they swam with sea turtles and dolphins, visited the Mayan Ruins, and relaxed at the beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula. Under a beachside palapa after dinner, Mason asked the restaurant staff to take a photo - which was actually a video. He asked her if she would marry him, and she said yes!