Mattie was flying home from her sister Hallie’s bachelorette weekend in Destin, FL. Mike was on his way from a friend’s wedding. Little did they know, they were about to meet the love of their life on a puddle-jumping connecting flight to Charlotte, NC. Mattie boarded the plane and cozied up to the window, mostly excited about the empty seat next to her. Mike boards the plane, after realizing he didn’t have a seat, so he was given one of the last seats on the plane. He also lost his headphones, so he was *really* dreading the flight home. He boards with his twin sister following him and realizes he might be sitting next to Mattie. When he saw her sitting next to his soon-to-be-seat, he turned around to Shannon with a big smile. Mike sat down and they start chatting. Whether you know Mattie, Mike, or both, this shouldn’t be a surprise. It was a quick 45-minute flight filled with stories from their weekends, a lot of laughs, and likely a lot of eye rolls from strangers around them. At the end of the flight, Mike asked for Mattie’s Snapchat and they went to their different gates to catch their final flight home. To not leave you on the edge of your seats: Mattie Snapchatted Mike first. Snaps moved to texts; texts moved to FaceTimes. A few weeks later, Mike visited MN. Mattie’s dad warned, “He could be a serial killer or your future husband – as long as you know that, do what you want.” Mike’s family had a similar reaction, “Are you crazy?” The next month, Mattie flew to NYC to meet Mike’s parents. In September, Mike flew back to MN to meet Mattie’s family. For three years, Mattie and Mike spent weekends flying back and forth visiting each other in Minnesota and Connecticut, and visiting family and friends across the country. We wouldn’t have changed it for the world—a lot of up and downs (literally with flights every month), and a whole lot of love. They moved to Chicago in 2020 to *finally* live in the same city. Now, let’s get to the proposal.

It was a Saturday morning in Chicago and Mattie had no suspicion of a proposal happening anytime soon. Most lazy Saturday mornings, Mike and Mattie grab coffee and go for a walk on the Lakefront Trail, their favorite view of the city. They had plans to go on their morning walk and while Mattie thought it was a typical Saturday, Mike had different plans. The Tietz and Ahearn families got into town Friday night and rented an Airbnb in Lincoln Park. It was KILLING Mike to know his family was in town and he couldn’t see them, because it was a surprise and Mattie had no idea (most gullible / oblivious human ever). Saturday morning, everyone was ready for the big day, except for Mattie. Mike and Mattie grabbed Starbucks and headed out to walk the Lakefront Trail (which was a literal tundra. Again, Mattie = clueless). On the walk, Mike mentioned he was getting “emotional,” and Mattie responds with, “Stop it.” They go on to talk about their life together, how much they love their city, and every sentimental topic in between. With perfect timing, Mike got down on his knee and said the perfect words to start their forever! Mattie stood in shock and disbelief and of course, said YES. The families came out from hiding further down the trail and it was the best. celebration. ever. We went back to their Airbnb and had the best day celebrating with family and friends from near and far (so thankful for FaceTime!). That next week, Mattie and Mike had a trip planned to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where they were able to escape the Chicago tundra and celebrate in paradise. February quickly became their favorite month, and it was the perfect start to forever!