*** Max and Mara first met in the summer of 2016, though Max claims he doesn't remember this. They were working at different gyms within the same company at that time, and went to an all-staff training where they were assigned to the same training group. Fast forward to October...Mara was transferred to the same location that Max was working at. Over the next few months, their friendship grew stronger since they spent a lot of time time working together. Eventually, they started hanging out outside of the gym, where Max realized how fun his life could be with Mara. They knew they had something special, but it wasn't until a memorable trip to the Packers game on 1/8/17 where Max and Mara finally declared their relationship official. The next few years were a whirlwind of exciting life chapters - Max completing his Bachelor's at UW-Whitewater and starting The Ranch Personal Training, Mara going back to school to become a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, adopting their beloved dog Arya two weeks before they moved in together, and growing The Ranch into a commercial gym. By 2022, Max and Mara's lives had finally settled enough to move into the next phase of their relationship: marriage. Max spent a month planning the engagement, designing Mara's dream ring, driving up to Stevens Point to ask Mara's dad for his blessing, and meeting with the jeweler in West Bend several times before everything was in place. Mara, of course, was suspicious of the large chunks of time he left "to run errands" (to his credit - it's hard to pull off any surprises when you typically spend 90% of your day together!). But Max pulled it all together perfectly on Christmas Eve morning. Max and Mara have been partners in every sense of the word for over 6 years now, but they couldn't be happier to turn that partnership into "forever" on 11/4/23. They can't wait to continue growing together and doing all the things they love: lifting weights, traveling to new places, eating great food, drinking good coffee, and spending time with friends, family, and of course, Arya.