They say that the best relationships begin as friendships, and that is exactly where we started out. We originally met back in 2015 while working on an upcoming fundraiser for a local nonprofit organization. Travis, a former employee, and Sarah, an intern, were both in entirely different places in life, and neither of us imagined we would end up where we are today. It wasn't until early 2017 that we both became full-time employees at that same nonprofit. It was then that our friendship initially clicked, and we quickly formed a bond that ran much deeper than either of us were willing to admit, especially because we worked together. On Travis' last day at that nonprofit, we had our first date at Iron in downtown Grand Rapids. It was an instant "spark" and we haven't looked back since.

Travis had arranged everything- he had Sarah's friend, Karen, take her to get her nails done, he had Sarah's cousin, Jenni, schedule a Saturday morning brunch to get her out of the house, and he had an entire day planned out. (Weird!) Sarah had just finished an incredibly exhausting week- she wanted a day where she had absolutely nothing to do, so she canceled Saturday morning brunch, and told everyone that she was going to lay in bed all day. At noon, Jenni called Sarah and said she was at Sarah's house, and wanted to come up for a moment. She walked in the door, arms full of flowers, and told her it was time to get cleaned up, as she was going to take Sarah somewhere. It was at that moment, that Sarah knew what Travis had up his sleeve. Jenni dropped Sarah off at the J.W. Mariott, where Travis had first learned about her killer dance moves. He then proceeded to send her on a scavenger hunt to a handful of places that were meaningful to their relationship (Rosa Parks Circle, The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Reserve Wine & Food). The last stop was one of Travis' favorite places in Downtown Grand Rapids. The former Civic Auditorium, which now houses DeVos Performance Hall. It was there that he got down on one knee and asked Sarah to marry him. She said yes. After they were able to celebrate together at Rendezvous, a bar in the Amway, Travis told Sarah he had one more surprise for her. He drove her to Stonewater Country Club, where he had a lot of close family and friends waiting to surprise Sarah for an impromptu engagement party! We got the best of both worlds, our private moments and a chance to celebrate. It truly was an incredible day.

We can't wait to share the beginning of this new chapter with all of you. To our family and friends- thank you so much for being there for us, for supporting us as we navigated through life separately, and for encouraging us as we move into this phase in life.