Our story starts in college, where we first crossed paths at a skating rink through mutual friends. Neither of us said a word to each other that night, but at the end of the evening, Chase asked a friend for my name, found my social media, and messaged me asking for my Snapchat. For some reason, though, he didn’t text me after that. Fast forward a few months—Chase posted a video in downtown Meridian where he was jokingly interviewing a cat for a work story. Coincidentally, it was the same cat I had tried to pet for years when I worked downtown, but she never let me get close! I was so jealous of Chase for getting close to this elusive cat, I had to message him and ask how he managed to do it. From there, we started talking every day, and it didn’t take long for him to ask me out on our first date. Our plan was simple—Mexican food—but it went so well that we didn’t want it to end. Chase got creative and found ways to keep the night going. He took me on a tour of the news station where he worked at the time, and then we ended up at the movie theater, where the only movie showing was The Minions Movie. Our first date is something we still look back on and laugh about—who would have thought a night full of unexpected twists and turns would lead us here? Our second date was when we were both back in Starkville for school, and that’s when Chase officially asked me to be his girlfriend. He bribed me with flowers and tickets to see my favorite band in three months—he jokes that he knew I couldn’t resist, so he had three months to make me fall in love with him. Well, it worked! I would’ve said yes even without the tickets, but they were definitely a nice perk. And here we are, looking back at the start of our journey together, knowing that every twist and turn has led us to this incredible time in our lives. The rest, as they say, is history!

On February 1, 2025, Chase proposed to me at the Dallas Arboretum, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The Arboretum is extra special to us because it’s one of the first places Chase took me when I met his family in Dallas. I was completely blown away by how beautiful it was, and Chase promised me we’d come back every season to see how the gardens changed. And, of course, he kept that promise! We’ve gone back every chance we get, so when he told me we were stopping by before his birthday dinner, I didn’t think much of it. He mentioned we were meeting his Aunt Cindi there for a glass of wine, which, if you know Cindi and I, was the perfect excuse to get me to the Arboretum without suspecting anything. I had a few hunches, but since it was Chase's birthday, I really didn’t think he’d propose. But when we got to the Arboretum, he led me to the most beautiful garden, dropped down on one knee, and asked me to marry him! I was in complete shock, but of course, I said yes! Then, Chase pointed out our photographer (another surprise!) and revealed that he’d planned a whole engagement shoot for us. After we took some pictures, we walked to the front, where our families were waiting—and that was yet another surprise! My parents had flown in to celebrate with us, which made the moment even more special. We ended the night at Chase’s family’s house, where they had thrown an amazing engagement party for us. We spent the evening celebrating with everyone, and it was honestly the best day ever!