Like all great modern romances, our story began with a swipe. We met on Tinder, not expecting much more than a fun conversation… but from our very first date, we knew there was something different. One date turned into four back-to-back. Four days in a row of laughs, deep conversations, spontaneous adventures, and the unmistakable feeling that we’d just met our best friend. From the beginning, everything just clicked. We became inseparable, even when life pulled us in different directions. We did long distance for eleven months consisting of countless FaceTimes, weekend road trips, and late-night “I miss you” texts. Fast forward four years, and now we have a full house made up of three dogs, lots of love, and even more laughter. We’ve built a life together that feels like home in every way, and now, we can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter with all of you by our side.
James proposed at Raven’s View in Cave Creek—a beautiful winery that holds a special place in our hearts. It was one of the very first spots we visited early in our relationship, so it already had a bit of magic tied to it. What I thought was just a casual double date with friends turned out to be one of the most unforgettable nights of our lives. The day before, I started to get a little suspicious. I joked with my best friend that if she was secretly planning my engagement, she better cancel it—because I had just painted my nails blue (definitely not engagement-photo ready!). I was convinced James might propose on the cruise we had planned for the following week, so I had planned to repaint them before then. Painting them blue was my sneaky way of trying to catch him giving something away… but he didn’t say a word. He already knew the proposal was happening before the cruise—and my attempt to outsmart the surprise totally backfired. James and Carsyn (our maid of honor) actually debated what to do about the blue nails and even brought press-ons and polish just in case! But in the end, the blue nails stayed—and now, they’ve become one of my favorite parts of the entire story. They even became the star of our save the dates (besides the ring, of course!). That evening, James suggested we take a “cute sunset photo” at a scenic overlook near the restaurant that he had scouted out ahead of time. When we got out of the car, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was perfect. He also booked a photographer who pulled up and captured every moment. After the proposal, we headed back to Raven’s View where I walked in to find my entire family and several close friends waiting to celebrate. James had even surprised my mom—he brought her husband into the plan who convinced her they were headed to a company party. Instead, she walked into our engagement celebration! It was perfect—joyful, thoughtful, full of love, and completely us.