Hope and Sydney met through their college ministry called Salt Company. Some of Hope's buddies first mentioned Syd's name to Hope in the spring of 2023, but it wasn't until a couple of months later that Hope really noticed Syd. In Hope's words, she "lit up a dark room," and in that moment, he knew he was in trouble. Throughout those next couple of months, they never had a conversation, just the occasional "Hi" or a head nod at church. As they would say, Hope was waiting to shoot his shot, but once he did, he swished! They officially made a connection at a Salt Company event, where Syd lost badly against Hope in a game of Secret Hitler. They haven't played since, yet, they're getting married, so it wasn't a total dealbreaker. Shortly after the event, Hope asked Syd to get coffee, and she was so excited that she woke her mom up in the middle of the night after finally reading his text. After some coffee dates and fun convos, Hope decided to pursue a relationship with Syd and ask her to be his girlfriend!