Merissa was born and raised in Austin, Texas and is a dual citizen in both the U.S. and Italy. She attended college not too far from home at TCU in Fort Worth, where she majored in public relations/advertising and double minored in photography and French. Merissa turned her passion into a full-time photography business where she photographs grads, couples, and brands. Growing up, she developed a love for travel, visiting family in Italy, Switzerland, and France, and now is always flying somewhere new for work or trips with Cole! Cole was born and raised in Plano, Texas and went to TCU to study finance. He now works in commercial real estate development for a company in Dallas. Cole grew up an avid golf player and continues to work on his golf game often. He also has a passion for hunting, fishing, and watching sports. He takes pride in his annual elk hunting trip that he goes on with some of his fraternity brothers. Over the years, Merissa’s love for travel transpired onto Cole and he enjoys exploring new places together.

Cole and Merissa first met back in 2014, during Merissa's first weekend out at TCU her freshman year, and Cole's sophomore year. Cole bought Merissa a drink (the infamous "Polywog") at a bar called The Bottom and they shared a dance together. After staying in touch for a year, they began to see each other more often and eventually started officially dating September of 2016.

After dating a few years during college and sharing many memories such as formals, TCU football games, and camping trips together, Cole and Merissa both ended up moving to Dallas post-grad. From adventures to National Parks to vacations in Italy, they have traveled to many destinations together, and still can't get enough of each other! Shortly after celebrating their six year anniversary, Cole finally decided it was time to propose. He popped the question on 9.23.22 and planned a huge surprise party with their friends and family in Dallas.