Shannon decided to go out with one of her girlfriends to the Arlington Ale House in downtown Arlington Heights. Playing wing-woman for her newly single friend, Shannon saw a few open seats at the bar next to a man that looked to be around their age. That man... was not Bryan. After sitting down and ordering a few Coronas (seems like foreshadowing now), Shannon turned to strike up a conversation with not-Bryan, but lo and behold, not-Bryan was gone and replaced by actual-Bryan. Apparently, Bryan saw Shannon and her friend sit down and told his co-worker (aka not-Bryan) that since he was engaged, he either needed to make an introduction or trade seats with him. And trade seats they did. If you think this is the part of the story where Bryan lays on the charm, has a great opening line, and melts Shannon's heart right then and there, you clearly don't know Bryan. After insisting on sitting next to Shannon so he could "make a move," he proceeded to, in fact, not make a move. Like at all. Leaving the heavy lifting to Shannon who came in with the top-notch pick up line, "are those your quarters?" They were not his quarters, but they decided to use the unclaimed quarters to play pool - for the next 5 hours. Bryan was smitten but Shannon was skeptical. So much so that she wouldn't give him her phone number, despite hanging out with him all night and actually really liking him. Luckily, Shannon's friend turned the tables and swapped numbers with Bryan so that she could convince a jaded Shannon to give Bryan a chance. By the next day Shannon and Bryan were texting constantly. They went on their first date less than a week later (Valentine's Day), promptly followed by their second, third, and fourth dates each day after. Shannon remained skeptical but Bryan was kind, patient, and held the faith that what they had was special. Turns out, he was right and Shannon has never been happier to be wrong.

Shannon and Bryan were in Washington DC for a long weekend helping Shannon's sister move. They decided to go out one night for a romantic dinner along the Potomac. Having arrived early for their reservation, they decided to sit along the river at a nearby park and watch the sunset. It was here that Bryan worked up the courage to get down on one knee and ask Shannon to be his wife. It was the easiest decision she ever made.