We met on dating app Coffee Meets Bagel and chatted for a while before we met in person. We agreed to meet up at a public place for our first date, a pet food store where Tiffany could pick up some treats for her dog. Chris walked in and immediately thought he had been catfished when the store greeter said hello to him. Thankfully he didn't turn around and run, finding Tiffany checking out at the register. From there, we drove to the Dane County Fair. Keep in mind that it was late July, and it was a VERY hot day. We walked around looking at the cute farm animals at the fair, assuring each other our profuse sweating was just because of the heat and not a normal occurrence. After jumping between different exhibits trying to stay cool, the heat eventually wore us down, and we decided to find a cooler spot to continue getting to know each other. We headed to the Memorial Union Terrace, where we walked along Lake Monona, and chatted about our families. Even with a breeze coming off the water, it was still so hot in the direct sun. We finally conceded that we needed to find something to do indoors. And that's when we decided to head to a movie theater (to watch The Secret Life of Pets), because we knew theaters always had their air conditioners blasting. If you've never watched a movie on a first date, it's the kind of activity that can make you wonder if your date is going to try to hold your hand. (Wouldn't that be awkward when you just met the person?) A movie is also not the best way to keep a conversation rolling, though introverted Chris was more than okay with that. Thankfully it all worked out for us. We wrapped up our first date after about six hours and quickly scheduled a second date. (We didn't hold hands, by the way.) If you can enjoy a six hour date and still want to see the person again, you've probably found a good one.

After a brief discussion with Chris, I knew the engagement ring was going to be my Christmas present that year, but I told him I still wanted the actual proposal to be a surprise. The other gift he got me was a Friends advent calendar. (If you didn't already know, Friends is our favorite show.) I had a hard time remembering to check the calendar each day, but it was full of little paper gifts like cards, gift tags, and ornaments. When I came downstairs the morning of the 20th, I spotted the calendar and realized I had once again forgotten to open the previous day. Thankfully, I asked if Chris wanted to come downstairs to watch me open the 19th (and the 20th while it was on my mind). He came down and watched as I opened the 19th to find another cute gift from the show. When I opened the 20th, I was caught off guard by something handwritten on the top card inside - that was new! Then I slowly realized it included my name. It was a small card that said, "Season 4, Episode 149 - The one where Tiffy says yes!" When I turned to look at him, Chris was down on one knee with the most gorgeous ring. He simply asked, "Tiffany, will you marry me?" and I said yes! The card he used for the proposal was one he swiped from a previous day in the calendar. The other side of the card had a quote from Friends character Phoebe: "She's your lobster... It's a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life." Four years & 149 days is how long we had been dating when Chris proposed.

We wanted an intimate, outdoor wedding ceremony, and we wanted it to be somewhere beautiful. Michigan has lots of gorgeous scenery and isn't too far from home, so we worked with our photographer and found a gorgeous spot in the Upper Peninsula for a private ceremony. We look forward to sharing photos and stories from the ceremony with all of our loved ones.

We look forward to celebrating our marriage with everyone! To make things easier for most of our guests, we'll be holding celebrations in both the Louisville and Madison areas: 5.15.22 | 4pm | The Carriage House at The Howard Steamboat Museum | Jeffersonville, IN 6.11.22 | 11am | Nineteen09 | Cross Plains, WI