Payton & Jesse met on a dating app for Christian singles in October 2020. Payton was reluctant to use a dating app, but one of her best friends convinced her that there are some great guys on the app! Turns out she was right! Jesse soon revealed to Payton the reason they had met in the first place. The app is based on location parameters set, and neither one had their location set to find people in another state. Jesse and his dad, Phillip, had recently been in Maryville, TN on a motorcycle trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. They love eating at The Smoky Mountain Brewery, so they stayed in a hotel nearby. Jesse and Payton both had used the app during the time Jesse was in her hometown, and this is how the app allowed them to see each other. It was truly meant to be because the couple would have never met otherwise!

On December 14, 2020, Jesse made the nearly 4 hour drive from his hometown in Braselton, GA to Maryville, TN to meet Payton for the first time. He came to meet Payton's parents and picked her up before taking her to a nice dinner. They spent the rest of the evening talking and looking at Christmas lights. Jesse stayed in a hotel nearby Payton's house, and the next morning he brought her flowers before heading back to Georgia.

Payton's friends Lauren & Alyssa told Payton they wanted to take cute pictures and get coffee in historic downtown Lenoir City, then get dinner at The Smoky Mountain Brewery after. Lauren said she wanted to eat somewhere "we don't go to often," so Payton didn't think anything was out of the ordinary. After receiving pictures of various dresses, Lauren told Payton which one she should wear (little did Payton know, Lauren was asking Jesse his preference on the dress). Jesse had told Payton that he had a meeting at school that day, so as far as she knew he was in Georgia! After the girls were done taking pictures and getting coffee, they pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. As the girls were walking down the sidewalk to get to the front door, Payton did not notice that Lauren and Alyssa had slowed down behind her. Payton then saw Jesse walking down the sidewalk along the side of the restaurant, then towards her. Of course, at this point she had an idea of what was happening! Jesse then got down on one knee to ask Payton to marry him! Payton's family was watching and taking pictures from a distance, and Jesse had stuck his GoPro in the flower pot beside the door to film it all! As you probably expected, Payton's friends did not join the newly engaged couple for dinner!