Sakai and Dexter first met during Welcome Week in 2010 at NC State University (Go Pack!). They remained friends throughout college and occasionally hung out with their mutual friends. Sakai and Dexter reconnected in December 2014 when Sakai came back to State for the December graduation. After the graduation weekend, Dexter and Sakai began to form their relationship! Dexter moved to Nebraska for a new job after graduation, while Sakai was completing Grad school in Philadelphia. Dexter and Sakai continued their long-distance relationship by living in multiple states: Grand Rapids, MI; Chicago, IL; Raleigh, NC; and Washington DC. 5 years later (and tons of driven and flown miles later), Dexter and Sakai finally decided to settle in Charlotte, NC. I guess you can say distance really does make the heart grow fonder!

After 6 years, Dexter decided it was time to pop the question! Knowing Sakai has an "inquisitive" mind, Dexter had Sakai "plan" her own engagement. Sakai thought she was helping put together a surprise picnic for her roommate Christian, when in reality it was for herself. After weeks of planning and lies to throw Sakai off (including a location change due to weather & tricking Sakai to move a work flight), the day finally arrived! On June 12th, 2021, Dexter and Sakai headed to the Botanical Gardens on UNC Charlotte's campus. As they walked through the garden, Dexter confessed to Sakai that the picnic was not for Christian, but was actually for the two of them. Once they reached the gazebo where the picnic was set up, Dexter asked Sakai to marry him! Completely surprised by this all, Sakai said yes!! Dexter and Sakai had a proposal shoot to capture the moment in the garden, and then proceeded to enjoy the picnic. Dexter continued the surprises for their engagement day with a celebratory dinner with their families, and then an engagement get together with their friends at a local brewery.