We wouldn't be celebrating our wedding if it weren't for the wedding of Hillary Dow and Sam Hayes! Hillary is Mitchell's younger sister and Kara's close friend. Kara met Hillary when they both lived in Dallas; they were on the same flag football team as part of a philanthropic organization, and quickly became great friends. When Hillary became engaged to Sam, Kara knew that her friend would soon be moving to Tennessee. She was invited to their Nashville wedding in August 2019. Meanwhile, Mitchell had been doing his research. He had seen photos of Kara with Hillary on social media, and asked his sister on a number of occasions what Kara was like, if she was dating anyone, and if she would be coming to Hillary's wedding. Hillary made no attempt to set her brother up with her friend, but confirmed that Kara would be attending the wedding. On August 23rd, 2019, the day of Hillary's wedding, Mitchell had his work cut out for him. Not only was he a groomsman, but he was also filming the wedding, and now had a new task at hand: getting Kara's attention. After the ceremony, Kara and her friend Holley made a rush to the outdoor buffet line to ensure they were the first to start eating. They sat down at their table in an empty reception hall. Mitchell knew this was his chance. He approached the table and intentionally took the seat next to Holley in the hopes that he wouldn't appear too eager to speak with Kara. That friendly, outgoing personality instantly won Kara's heart. Kara told Mitchell that she thought it was interesting that he had brown hair and blonde eyebrows; the only other person she knew with this characteristic was her father. When Mitchell left the table as other guests filtered in, Kara made a comment to Holley about how cute Hillary's brother was. The evening was filled with epic dancing, shameless flirting, suspenders, and glow sticks. The rest is history!

After a year of long-distance dating, Mitchell and Kara knew they were ready to start their lives together, which meant that Kara would quit her job in Dallas, sell her condo, and move to San Francisco to be with the love of her life. When Mitchell's military deployment in Alaska was cut short just a few weeks before Kara was scheduled to move across the country, he knew it was his opportunity to make things official forever. Kara came to San Francisco for what she thought was just a quick weekend visit a few weeks prior to the move. They would be celebrating their one-year anniversary together! Mitchell had been cleverly throwing her "off the trail" for the past few months, so she was under the impression that a proposal was going to come later that fall, after they were settled together in SF. Mitchell planned an early-morning hike to a waterfall in Tahoe, a place that the two of them loved to visit and shared many memories together. After reaching the top of the waterfall, Mitchell said he was going to set up his camera gear so they could take a photo together. Kara was put in charge of setting up an elaborate charcuterie board with crackers, cheese, olives, and wine to celebrate their one-year anniversary. It was so elaborate, in fact, that two women hiking near them asked, "Is this for a proposal?" Mitchell's heart rate skyrocketed, but thankfully Kara quickly answered, "No, it's just an anniversary!" Minutes after the women left, Mitchell got down on one knee and popped the question! His camera set-up perfectly captured the moment. Mitchell and Kara reflect on this day -- the joy, the chaos, the surprise, the relief -- as one of the happiest of their lives.