Some people don’t believe in love at first sight. I wasn’t sure I did either, until it happened to me. In the summer of 2019, after finishing my sophomore year of college, I was not looking for love. But then I saw Ed for the first time at the gym, and in that instant, something inside me changed. I found myself returning each day, hoping for just one more glimpse of him. One night, he finally asked me to join him for a workout, and what began as a simple ab routine turned into hours of conversation that felt like we had known each other forever. I told him then that we were kindred spirits. After that, we would meet each day at the gym and talk until closing. Our first date was under the stars at his grandparents’ farm, and from that night forward, we were official. Not long after, the fall semester started and we began classes at different schools. I worried that our summer romance would fade with distance and the demands of college life. But I was wrong. That very first weekend, I drove to see him, and after that we spent every weekend together without fail. Through undergrad and law school, we never missed a single one. During this time, our bond grew into something unbreakable. From the very beginning, I knew Ed was the other half of my soul. Today, I am certain that I am marrying the love of my life, my truest friend, and my forever.

I wanted Nicole’s proposal to be as meaningful as she is to me. Since our very first date was spent lying under the stars, I knew the eclipse in Bloomington, during her final year of law school, in the city that had become such an important part of our lives was the perfect moment. I called Nicole’s family to share my plan, and they encouraged me every step of the way. When Nicole was busy, I searched for the right spot until I found a quiet hill with a wide-open view of the sky. I chose a ring that felt like her, and I wrote a poem, hoping to capture in words how much I love her and how she completes me. On the day of the eclipse, as the sky dimmed to gray and then to black, I took Nicole’s hand and read her my poem. For a few moments, it was just the two of us, surrounded by that otherworldly light. Then I asked her to marry me, and hearing her say yes was the most unforgettable moment of my life. Afterward, I had also planned for my parents to surprise us in Bloomington. We all went to dinner and celebrated the occasion, with each of us still residually caught in a state of awe from the eclipse. Nicole and I both cite it as the best day ever, and we both have a feeling that the sublime nature of that day will find its way back to us the day of our wedding.