we’re getting married!

Ryan was the first to initiate, but Mattie wasn't on the same page. That was how things began in late 2023. Ryan first talked to Mattie when he messaged her on the dating app Hinge. Things never materialized though, but neither of them thought much of it. Such was the modern dating culture for two single people in their 20s. Everything changed though in February of 2024 when they stumbled upon each other again on Bumble. This time Ryan knew what to do and what not to do when he messaged Mattie again. It worked. They instantly connected over the churches they were a part of at the time and what each other did for work. Conversations soon grew from the phone screen to real life when they met for coffee at Dunn Brothers in Davenport after church one Sunday. This came as a shock to Ryan (and still is), as this was his first and only date off a dating app. Dates happened in quick succession after that, each with something they remember vividly, like the night Ryan got cold feet thinking about a first kiss after a Quad City Storm minor league hockey game or Mattie inviting Ryan to go swing dancing as she could sense he didn’t want to let her down. This is a true Quad Cities love story, as both of them can’t count how many times they’ve crossed the I-74 bridge over the Mississippi River to see each other. Mattie and Ryan’s relationship became serious before they even truly realized, each of them meeting each other’s families, friends from college, coworkers; soon being the ever important plus one for each other at weddings and other important events. Life would be boring without each other, they thought. There is something about Ryan and there is something about Mattie that makes the chaos of life worthwhile, because they get to do it together, by each other’s side. Their paths were bound to cross, even if they needed the help of modern technology and multiple dating apps. *F.Y.I: This was written by Ryan