We began running in the same circles during Rachel's sophomore and Aspen's junior year at UMD, when Aspen became roommates with Rachel's friends from high school. At one point, Gage (Best Man) and Hannah (Bridesmaid) convinced Rachel to message Aspen and ask him out for coffee - which she did - at 4 in the morning. Before he could respond, Rachel anxiously rescinded the offer (because who doesn't reply at 4 a.m?!) and Gage and Hannah's matchmaking fell flat. The following summer, Rachel and Aspen met at a party before a concert Rachel was heading to with her friends. Aspen and Gage convinced the girls to skip the concert (again, what?) and from then on, Aspen and Rachel began talking consistently. Their first date was the Tall Ships in Duluth, where they saw the World's Largest Rubber Duck! In 2018, they moved to St. Louis Park and began their first post-college positions. Aspen cheered Rachel on through graduate school, and she him while he settled into his new career. In July 2020, Rach graduated, they moved to a new home and brought home their beloved Rosie.

In December 2021, Aspen proposed with the help of Rachel's Maid of Honor, Jessica and her fiancé, Drew. Aspen and Rachel host a holiday party every December with their closest friends - Aspen found this would be the perfect day to pop the question. Jess invited Rach to go hiking earlier in the day, with their boys and dogs before people started to come over. We went for a hike in Stillwater and found a beautiful spot for a picture (Aspen asked Rachel to take a picture with him when we got to the river.. suspicious?). After we popped champagne, we got to share the news in person with the rest of our friends as they showed up to our holiday party later that night. Great planning, 'spen!!