Alaina and Tyler met online in September of 2019, while Alaina was a student at Saint Louis University, and Tyler had just started his first software engineering job in downtown St. Louis. In their first conversation, they learned they both shared a love of cats, which Herbie and Zoe can attest, is still true to this day.

For their first date, Tyler took Alaina to his favorite restaurant, Seoul Taco, where sparks flew, and they got along so well that they ended up talking for hours. After only a few more dates, they both knew that they wanted to make it official, and on October 5th, 2019, they officially started dating. They were able to have a normal relationship for about six months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, SLU closed, and Alaina had to head home to Wisconsin. They stayed together long distance, video calling, texting, and watching movies online together, until it was safe enough to be together in person again.

Since then, they've spent almost every day together, with Tyler helping Alaina study for her bachelor's degree, driving her around St. Louis (since she didn't have a car) and, in between, becoming close friends with her roommates-Laynie, Catie, and Mitsate-who will all be standing up as members of their wedding party.

Herbie and Zoe, Alaina's childhood cats, moved into Tyler's apartment over the summer, along with Alaina, so she could work in the Tavis lab as a researcher. That's when they realized that this is what they wanted their life to be for the rest of their lives.

Alaina and Tyler moved to Ballwin, MO, along with roommate Mitsate, in 2022, while Alaina and Mitsate were completing their Master's degrees. Alaina was also dealing with significant health struggles during this time, which Tyler was always the first to offer help, support, and love during. Alaina graduated with her Master's degree in May of 2022, and headed off into the real world! She started working as an adjunct professor of Chemistry and Biology at Saint Charles Community College. At their Ballwin house, Alaina and Tyler enjoyed hosting social events, gardening, and even took an acting class together. On October 8th, 2023, Tyler got down on one knee and asked Alaina to marry him. To nobody's surprise, she said yes! They decided to have a longer engagement to give them time to plan their dream wedding.

To be closer to her job, Alaina and Tyler moved to Saint Charles, MO in May of 2024, since Tyler works remotely as a software engineer and can live anywhere. They've spent most of their time recently decorating their new apartment and planning their wedding!

Alaina and Tyler are so excited to celebrate their love story with all of the people they love most in the world, and appreciate everyone coming to spend time with them. We can't wait to see what the rest of our story has in store!

Registry

Please know gifts are not expected, but definitely appreciated!