Once upon a dating app in January 2022… the story of Emily Strickland and Tyrus Skipper started as Ty attempted to answer one simple question: “What do you call a person who has two butts and kills people?” Even though he was unable to come to the right answer, his return dad jokes opened Emily's eyes to what she would soon find to be so lovable. Ty and Emily went to Roux in Roswell, GA for their first in person date where Ty shocked both of them by grabbing and holding onto Emily's hands while talking after dinner. Neither one moved as they continued to talk for hours. To this day one of Emily's favorite things is to have her hand held by Ty. Many dates and adventures spurred from that initial date including many camping trips, a trip to Colorado and their Hawaii adventure. Ty often says that he started dating Emily for her personality and winning smile, but she knows deep down that it had to do with her connection to Hawaii and his hopes of visiting one day! Ty was the first to make his feelings known. A few months later, his perseverance ended up winning Emily over completely by that summer. His interactions with her family, especially her nieces and nephews, gave her the confidence to know that he was a man of integrity and one worth holding onto. With the love and guidance of their family and friends their relationship grew stronger. From their first FaceTime date until now, there has always been something simple and precious about their relationship.

On 5/20/23, during a weekend spent visiting Ty’s hometown of Brunswick, GA, Ty asked Emily to marry him! He tried his best to keep his plan a secret but although Emily was surprised, she had a feeling it was coming! After dinner on St. Simon’s Island, Ty took Emily to the pier where they walked hand in hand down the walkway listening to the waves and watching the stars. Emily started getting suspicious as Ty slowed and angled them toward a pavilion nearby. It was at that pavilion where Ty asked Emily to marry him! She said yes… obviously! They are excited to start their lives together as a family with their 3 dogs: Luke, Roxie, and Alfie!