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That was the date it all started. Right place, right time. I’ll try to give you the highlights. They started their journey on the dating app Bumble. It was the first time Mel had been on a dating app, and within 24 hours, she had met Luke and deleted it. Could this be fate? Especially since Luke had wooed her straight away with his first question, "Which fast food place does the best chips?" Now, for those of you who know Mel, this is a hilarious but also triggering question because she has a very difficult relationship with chips. She has a phobia of spots on chips and will spend hours, if given the chance, sorting through them to find the perfect ones to actually eat. So little did Luke know that, although he thought this might have been an easy question, it was probably the hardest question he has ever asked Mel to date. But needless to say, within those 24 hours, they moved from app to text and had arranged their very first official COVID date, a walk around Merri Creek. When the date ended, Mel was convinced that Luke wasn’t that interested and she probably wouldn’t hear from him again for a follow-up date. But Luke was very shy and was holding his cards close to his chest. He messaged her later that night asking for a second date. They went on several walk dates after this, enjoying each other’s company, stories, and laughter. Was this a match made in heaven? For you see, they learned very quickly on these walks that they had lived a street away from each other their entire lives, went to the same primary school, were born at the same hospital, and even had mutual friends, meaning they could have crossed paths before without even realizing it. Fast forward a year, and they finally did get to go on their first non-COVID date, meet each other’s parents and friends, and Luke snuck in his first cheeky “I love you” along the way. He did so on the phone on the way to a boys' weekend camping trip. Just as he said it, the reception cut out in some weird twist of fate. They didn’t have reception for the rest of the weekend, meaning Mel had to wait almost three days to say it back. I believe Luke thought he had the upper hand on this one. The only natural next step to take was to move in together. So they started house hunting and purchased their first home together. Luke wanted to live in Carlton in an old Victorian home, and in true Mel fashion, they moved to Fawkner in a brand new modern house. For Luke’s 30th birthday, Mel surprised him with a trip to Fiji. This was their first official overseas holiday together. While on this trip, they decided rather quickly and potentially a bit hastily that they were going to make the next biggest decision in their lives. Enter little Dixie, who is the light of their lives. They did all the things pet owners say they are not going to do, like no sleeping on the bed, not on the couch, and no eating human food. Safe to say, Dixie won that one. Then, on the 7th of May 2023, as Mel was busily planning her dad’s upcoming 60th birthday, Luke had his family and friends set up an amazing display at their home. Mel was so distracted at the birthday that she hadn’t noticed all day that the cameras weren’t going off. For you see, Luke thought of everything: he turned all the cameras off so she wouldn’t get any movement notifications on her phone, he arranged for Dixie to be waiting at his parents' house, and even had his friend hiding in the laundry with a camera to take pictures. It worked exactly to his plan, as Mel thought she was going home to make a light dinner and get into her pjs. As she opened the door, she saw the incredible aisle lined with rose petals and candles leading to a big LED sign that said, "Marry Me." As Luke led her up the path, he then got down on one knee and asked the question. The answer was yes, if you really had to ask. And now here we are, ready to celebrate their special day.