Luke and Madelyn met in March of 2023 They began dating in August of 2023 Luke Proposed in September of 2024 And they are getting married May of 2025 This is their story:

Madelyn: Luke and I met in bible study on a Thursday night. What was always such an interesting thing to me is that we both went to the same church, Westside Baptist, but we attended different campuses so we never met until we found ourselves in the same Life Group. When the school year had ended in May summer Life Groups began and my apartment hosted one of the bible studies, also on a thursday evening. Luke had the choice of attending another group with his friends but instead chose the one he knew I'd be hosting. Every week I was able, I baked cookies for everyone that attended. It was never anything fancy, just a simple mix I got from the store but it quickly became a beloved thing in our bible study. Luke's birthday is August 4th which was a Friday so at the end of summer he sent me a text asking if I would be baking anything on August 3rd, but I was leaving earlier that day to spend the weekend with my sister and cousins in St. Augustine. So I responded by saying I couldn't, and he flirtatiously messed with me by saying it was his birthday. That day I got off of work early and even though my car was packed and ready, I decided to go home and bake the cookies. Once they were done I set them out with a small note wishing Luke a "Happy Birthday" and left for the weekend. Luke still has the note sitting on his bedside table. The weekend passed and on Monday morning I received a text from Luke asking me on a date. We had coffee and went for a walk on Thursday, August 10th. By August 22nd we had our third date and Luke officially asked me to be his girlfriend to which I said "Yes".

Luke: Madelyn and I always made an effort to be very communicative with each other, especially throughout the start of our relationship. This open communication and a book my mom got us led to many conversations on ourselves, our families, and any expectations for marriage and/or proposal. As our first summer together started, I took Madelyn on a date to just look for rings "for fun", and we found a ring that she loved. I went back the next day without her, bought that ring, and got the wedding band I had from my grandfather resized. During that summer Madelyn and I went on vacations together with each side of our families, and while with her family in Cortez, FL I asked her dad for Madelyn's hand in marriage. I got numbers for Madelyn's friends from her phone while she was in another room, and everyone involved with the proposal worked hard to keep it a complete surprise. Madelyn had it all worked out, and she thought I was going to propose in late December of 2024. On Saturday September 7th, Madelyn's sister, Emma, took her to a local farmer's market held in a developed townhouse community. While there they got drinks from the local coffee shop where Madelyn and I had our first date. A couple of blocks from the coffee shop, I surprised Madelyn by joining them and walked with her to a nearby gazebo. There I read Madelyn a letter I had written her in the first month we dated, and proposed.