we're getting married!

In 2020, Ty and Ella met at a youth event after Ty’s friend invited him to come along. Ella immediately noticed the cute boy who walked in, but at fifteen, she absolutely refused to throw herself at him. Ty, on the other hand, was confident and persistent, making it nearly impossible for Ella not to adore him. After the fall retreat, Ella finally felt bold enough to get Ty’s Snapchat (very high school, we know). Soon after, she gave him her number, and during a week of nonstop snow, they stayed up late every night talking about life, dreams, and music. Ty introduced Ella to his favorite songs, counting down so they could press play at the same time, while Ella dramatically rated every song and made playlists full of LANY. Ella had never dated anyone before and couldn’t believe a boy so cute could be so persistent about her. Ty constantly asked to hang out, while Ella, being painfully shy, always found a reason to say no, until her friends secretly invited him to dinner one night. That was the day they finally hung out in person. When Ella told Ty her parents weren’t okay with her dating so young, he wasn’t discouraged at all. In fact, one day while picking her up for a group hangout, he ran inside to introduce himself to her dad and explain his intentions with his daughter, leaving Ella absolutely horrified. But from that moment on, Ty made it his goal to win over her family. His confidence and determination became one of the things Ella loved most about him. They dated throughout high school, growing up side by side, and eventually both ended up at Oklahoma State. During junior year of college, Ty began seriously talking about marriage. Ella initially thought they were far too young, but Ty encouraged her to pray about it and seek what the Lord wanted for their future rather than following her own timeline. After many conversations, prayers, and encouragement from friends, Ella finally felt peace. Things moved quickly after that. Ty asked for her father’s blessing, just like he had years earlier when he first introduced himself as a nervous fifteen-year-old boy. Only this time, he was even more certain. Soon after, Ty got down on one knee and asked Ella to marry him. It was the easiest yes of her life. Ella may have had a different plan for her college years, but God had a much sweeter one. Growing up together has been one of the greatest gifts of their lives!