In 2017, the cool thing to do was to go to Friday Night Meltdown at the Chiller Ice Rink on Friday night's. Rachel was invited with her group of friends when one of them said they were meeting a boy there, who also happened to be bringing his group of friends. The moment Garrett laid eyes on Rachel, he knew she was the one. He told one of his friends that he thought Rachel was cute, and the rest is history.

Garrett & Rachel first met when they were in eighth grade. They each attended different middle schools but were hopeful that they could end up in high school together. When Garrett attended Olentangy, and Rachel attended Olentangy Orange, they were still determined to always see one another. Even though they didn't pass one another in the school hallways, or eat at the same lunch table, they still hung out almost every day (their parents can vouch for that, haha!). However, when Olentangy Berlin High School opened in 2018, Garrett was redistricted there, and Rachel was also able to get redistricted. The funny thing though, throughout their three years of high school, they had one class together, and then COVID-19 threw a wrench in everyone's lives. Safe to say, we didn't get your traditional graduation, but we did it together.

Once we graduated high school, we both made the decision to attend Bowling Green State University. Despite the wonderful friendships and memories we made there, we decided to come back home, where Rachel attended Otterbein University, and Garrett would attend The Ohio State University. Since then, Rachel graduated from Otterbein University in 2026 with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, where she now works as a Labor & Delivery nurse at OSUWMC. Garrett will graduate from tOSU in 2027 with a degree in Environment, Economics, Development, and Sustainability.

Wow. Garrett really outdid himself when he finally dropped down to one knee and asked Rachel to marry him. Rachel was graduating on May 3rd, and planned to take her graduation photos on April 14th. Garrett thought this would be the perfect timing because he knew Rachel would be dressed up, nails done, and hair did! We both couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening to make spending the rest of our lives together official.

We're getting married! From the moment our paths crossed, life has been brighter, fuller, and more meaningful. We’re beyond grateful for the love and support we’ve received from our family and friends along the way. As we begin this new chapter as partners for life, we can’t wait to celebrate surrounded by the people who mean the most to us. See you on the dance floor! With much love, The Future Smith's