While we disagree on how and when we met, one thing's for certain: we met each other at SendGrid. Emily insists she introduced herself to Warren on his first day in January 2014. Warren insists this is incorrect. What is agreed upon, is that Warren pointed out "Cute HR Girl" to friends during the Rockies home opener in April 2014. From there, our paths crossed at a few different happy hours and coworker parties until we eventually went on our first "date." While there is a lot of advice out there telling people to avoid romantic relationships at work, Emily graduated from "Cute HR Girl" to "Girlfriend" soon after.

We planned a trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley to celebrate Emily's birthday in May 2017. Little did Emily know, the trip was also meant to celebrate an engagement... Even for a simple one, orchestrating a proposal is no easy task. The Tuesday before leaving, Warren planned on taking Emily to dinner at a restaurant, and then asking her "the question" afterward, but Emily had other things in mind: W: Hey, what do you think about going out to dinner to celebrate your birthday? E: I don't know, I want to workout after work, so I don't want to go anywhere fancy… Warren acted on his feet to salvage dinner plans by cooking a great meal at home with wine and pasta! W: Ok! Well, I could pick up some food for us and cook at home, that might be nice! E: Do you really want to get a bunch of things dirty before our trip? Let's just go somewhere casual for dinner... This, of course, would make things more difficult. When would the question get asked? Maybe BEFORE dinner! W: Alright, well, let's decide on a place when you get home after your class. E: Ok, that sounds good! Emily then decided to take matters into her own hands and made a quick reservation at True Food in Cherry Creek on her way home. E: Hey! I made a reservation at True Food, come outside to my car and we'll go! W: Oh… Are you SURE you don't want to come inside? E: Nope! Come on out! With his plans foiled, Warren walked to Emily's car, got in the passenger seat, and handed her a card. E: It's not my birthday yet, I'll read it later. W: I know... but you should read it now. As Emily read, she thought it was nicest birthday card she’d ever read, and looked up to realize what was going on: Warren popped the question, grinning from ear to ear. Tears of happiness were shed, Emily was shaking with excitement, and the two chose to celebrate with pizza and wine. Later that evening, they popped a bottle of champagne and danced to Nathaniel Rateliff's "Howling at Nothing." #awh

Rhode Island is a very special place to us. As a child, Warren would spend time during the summer visiting his grandparents there. In the following years, family trips to Rhode Island took place many times. In 2015, Warren's father, Brian Duff, ended his battle with cancer in Rhode Island, and his ashes were spread at the Weekapaug jetty. Emily and Warren have taken trips to Rhode Island a few times since then, and it was one of the first places they thought of when considering wedding locations.