Natalie and Collin's story begins with a twist of fate. They had been going to the same gym for a year. But, they hadn't crossed paths until one afternoon in June 2022 when the owner of their gym threw a party. Collin had planned to go fishing that weekend, but the boat needed to have a repair, so he came to the party instead. They talked all afternoon and all night, though they didn't exchange phone numbers. By the time Natalie got home, Collin had sent her a Facebook friend request. A week later, they began Facebook messaging, finally exchanged numbers, and the rest was history! They haven't stopped talking since.

On their first date, Collin and Natalie went to a local whiskey bar and bonded over their love of bourbon. Natalie was drawn to Collin's fun spirit - his shorts had a pattern on them when they got wet and he used an ice cube to show it off. She immediately loved his sense of humor and their conversations. They connected over a love of trying different cuisines, sports, and traveling, and spent their weekends going on exciting dates. Collin soon realized that time spent with Natalie was time he cherished and Natalie found herself looking forward to the moments they shared together. They finally made it official that Labor Day weekend. Soon after, Natalie bought a house and Collin immediately started learning new skills to help renovate. They spent countless hours together scraping wallpaper, spackling, sanding, and painting. Natalie knew if they could get through renovating a house, they could get through anything together! They learned they were a great team and both wanted that connection to keep growing.

Collin and Natalie planned to take a once in a lifetime trip in May 2024 to visit their favorite stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and to attend the 150th Kentucky Derby. On the first day of their trip, they visited their favorite distillery, Woodford Reserve. This was the last stop of the day, and after the tour and tasting Collin wanted to go outside to take some pictures. Collin knew Natalie was the best catch of his life, so while they stood outside taking pictures, he got down on one knee to pop the question. Natalie was so surprised, she almost forgot to say "YES"! As they headed back to their hotel and dinner, they wanted to take one last picture in the visitor's center, newly engaged. It turned out that the distillery staff were setting up an event to release a special bottle of Kentucky Derby bourbon. The staff took lots of photos for them and Natalie and Collin were invited to celebrate at the event. It was a once in a lifetime trip to start their life together!