Ellie and Shane first met while attending IUP in the fall of 2015. One Saturday evening, Shane and a few of his roommates were hanging out on their front porch, when Shane noticed Ellie walking by with some girlfriends. Shane introduced himself and invited Ellie and her friends to join them for the rest of the night. The two of them stayed up until 4 AM chatting, getting to know each other, laughing and listening to music. Ellie called her sister, Amanda, the next day, to tell her all about this sweet guy she had just met! Shane remembers the impression her beautiful smile made on him immediately.

We both knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together early on in our relationship, but had a few things to do first. We endured years of long distance, big life goals and accomplishments, supporting, adapting and loving each other through it all! Shane officially proposed on January 23rd 2025 in our home, after a lovely dinner together. It was worth the wait :)