We're Getting Married!

We met at 42 Lounge in Milwaukee during their Halloween dance party in 2014. Amanda was alone while waiting for someone who was late and stuck in the long line outside when Max came up to her and introduced himself. He was dressed in cut off jean shorts and a ripped sleeveless plaid shirt, and at the time she couldn't see the awful hair cut he had given himself that night. He was going for a funny "country boy" look, but all she saw was the spitting image of Chris Pratt. It was an instant conversation starter, and the connection sparked from there. Amanda was planning a 24-hour video game charity stream for Extra-Life in November, and since we were at a gaming themed bar, she thought it would be a great excuse to get connected on Facebook. Max asked Amanda to dance with him later that evening. We parted ways, and we never did get the chance to dance that night. Not even two days later, we got back in touch. Looking back, it does feel a bit like fate. There were a lot of factors that led to both of us being in that bar at the same time, and we don't think our paths would have crossed any other time. Sometimes everything just lines up for the best and the rest is history.

Two days after our four year anniversary, we planned to go to The American Club in Kohler, WI for the weekend. It was Max's idea, and he arranged for dinner and a day at the spa together. Amanda's graduation ceremony took place during the day, and then we headed to Kohler for the evening. On the drive up, Max was incredibly nervous the surprise would be ruined. At one point when Amanda was flipping through his phone to change the music, Max feared that one of our parents would send a text that would ruin the entire surprise. Fortunately, our parents were patient and preserved the element of surprise. Once we checked in to the hotel, Max didn't want to wait any longer. He felt like the ring box in his pocket was three times larger than it actually was, and that it could be noticed at any moment. Shortly after arriving in the room, Max got down on his knee with the ring box open in hand, and waited not so patiently for Amanda turn towards him. She was distracted by something in the room, and she wasn't turning around. After waiting what felt like an eternity to Max, he had to say "hey babe" to get her attention. She started to turn back around. Once she realized what was happening, and saw the dazzling diamond, her eyes shined brighter than any stone ever could. She instantly said yes! It turns out the surprise was almost ruined a few weeks earlier. The jewelry store had sent information to Max in an unmarked letter which he left on the table for weeks. While Amanda was cleaning, she saw the letter and started opening asking why it had sat out for so long. Realizing his fatal mistake, Max quickly tried to come up with an excuse to get Amanda to hand over the letter without looking at its contents. When no excuse would stop her, Max was forced to take drastic measures and swiped the letter right out of her hands. He exclaimed "I will look at it later, you don't need to worry about that right now." While a little suspicious, Amanda didn't want to press any farther.

We want to thank our parents for hosting this incredible event. You have always been there to support us, and words cannot express how moved we are by your constant generosity and love. Thank you for making this day so special.