Ben was a Community Leader (RA) at Brooks Flats, where Katie lived her freshman year at Baylor. Ben was a junior at the time, and the two would have conversations about Baylor, faith, and politics whenever Ben worked the front desk. The summer after Katie's freshman year, the two began texting when they found out they would both be living in the same apartment building the following year. Those texts started a conversation between the two, and they haven't stopped since.

Ben brought Katie to the place where they had their first date, the Starry Night wall in downtown Waco, TX. He pulled out a bouquet of red roses he had hidden in a traffic cone inside an air conditioner unit and then pulled out a ring box. Katie was in shock and said yes as her roommate and maid of honor came out of hiding with a camera and captured the moment.