The Countdown Begins...

ALLISON: Our first look was online, I had just signed up for Match. I saw his profile picture- that smile! I just melted. And vegetarian too! So I made a bold move and winked at him... ;) He was the first date I met in person, at Trappe Door, and liked him right away. I thought it must be a fluke, surely no one gets that lucky right away....so I kept going out with other guys off the site. None of them could measure up. I quickly realized I had lucked out early on. I called it quits on Match before a month had gone by, while he had been on there for over six. We like to say he was just waiting for me to sign up!

CHRIS: It all started with a modern day blind date. I sported the business casual attire that I had worn to work that day, despite the fact that I had plenty of time to change. I chose not to change. I wanted to impress her. After a handful of formal dates, we were comfortable enough to swap oxytocin in a more comfortable setting: my roommate’s garage. It’s not what you’re thinking; I had converted the space into a classy hangout complete with dartboard, pull-up bar, folding chair, lamp, and a Craig’s List refrigerator filled with 10 gallons of my latest kegged homebrew concoctions (which happened to be stupid-high gravity Saison and Belgian-inspired double IPA). We spent many sessions draining those kegs and tossing darts. It was a no-look, over Allison’s shoulder, bull’s-eye dart throw—whilst kissing—that eventually sealed the deal: we were smitten. It was the summer of love…followed by the fall of love, the winter of love, the spring of love, summer of love part two, and, ultimately, five years of love. After five years and a couple months of carrying around a ring everywhere, I found myself overflowing with commitment. It was day two of a Render family vacation in St. Augustine, FL; we were all gathered at a rooftop wine bar wrapping up an incredibly fun day of biking and siteseeing. Everyone was in a great mood, wine was flowing, music was playing and Allison’s niece, Ramona, needed a fresh diaper; the environment was ripe for a proposal. So I volunteered to bike back to the rental house to fetch a diaper, and, a ring. I remember tearing through the streets, the wind in my face, wine in my belly, and pure excitement coursing through my body. I grabbed the ring, and the diaper, raced back to the rooftop and stalked Allison outside of the restroom. When she emerged, I swiftly took her hands, dropped to a knee, and improvised several romantic sentences that neither of us remembers. We returned to the rest of the family betrothed and invincible!