Our love story begins in the world of online dating. Singles out there who have attempted online dating know just how terrifying it can be! In fact, we nearly didn't meet and looking back can see how truly God-ordained our relationship was.

Having decided at the beginning of 2015 to work on "Personal Goals" with 2 friends (New Year Resolutions just sounds too cliche), the area of relationships naturally came up for Alicia. Against her better judgement she reluctantly decided to give Match.com a try. After two failed attempts she was ready to call it quits but decided to respond to one final guy. He had e-mailed her 2 weeks prior, and she was convinced nothing would come of it given her delay in responding. But 3 attempts sounded better than 2, so she figured why not respond if there was no risk of anything happening! He was cute, they had a shared faith in Christ, and he seemed like a good quality guy.

Bryan had just began a new job - a major career change that meant he could finally settle down in MN without crazy amounts of travel. It seemed like a great time to begin a relationship - which is where he began his journey at Match.com. His account was about to expire and he had no plans of renewing given his lack of success, but he saw one final girl who seemed cute and whose faith statement really struck him. The one problem - she held herself out as a far right conservative so would their political differences create too much conflict? He took a risk and contacted her anyway, but having heard nothing for a week he wrote her off . Then comes an e-mail from her 2 weeks later. Does he respond? Was her delay in responding a sign of a serious lack of interest? Despite his misgivings he decided to respond anyway (of course making her wait a few days first though!).

After a few days of online communication, Alicia suggested meeting and Bryan agreed. On April 21, 2015 they met for drinks. He found out she liked scotch and cigars and was immediately struck by the giant rose gold ring she was wearing. She thought he was even cuter in person and thoroughly enjoyed their conversation. Both knew they wanted a second date, but a vacation for Alicia followed by a busy Month End at work meant they would have to wait nearly 2 weeks. Finally the second date arrived - a walk at Minnehaha Falls followed by dinner at Chino Latino. They talked for what seemed like only a few minutes, but suddenly realized the restaurant had completely cleared out. It was after 1:00 AM and they had spent over 7 hours together without batting an eye. They both knew this was something special.

A third date was booked, then a fourth. By the fourth date Alicia was ready for their first kiss. She tried desperately to put this out there to no avail. She figured he either (a) was completely oblivious or (b) was not nearly as interested in kissing her as she was in being kissed. Either way, it completely messed with her head. They had already agreed to a fifth date - he was attending a wedding with her - so she tried patiently to see what might happen then. It felt like a "make it or break it" moment to them both.

The 5th date was a huge success. Her family and friends loved him, and she loved seeing him work the room despite knowing how out of his comfort zone that was. Finally at the end of the date he asked to kiss her...and he appologized for not taking the opportunity to kiss her on date 4. He was very aware he should have and she still gives him crap for not having done so!

Then on Memorial day, May 25th, they made things official. Her birthday followed on July 16th and he gave her the best gift she ever received - he told her he loved her. She told him it was about time he said it finally! And of course she said she loved him too. The summer flew by and suddenly November was upon them and a trip to Italy.

Backing up a little - by late summer Alicia was ready to get married and Bryan was concerned he might not be fully aware of just how crazy this woman he fell in love with really was! Labor day came and with it the couple's first trip together to the North Shore. The trip brought with it the first truly painful moment in their relationship. Through the pain; however, came immense beauty as they continued to walk along side each other and work through their challenges. By the end of the trip both were 100% convinced of their path toward marriage.

Bryan talked to his parents, and then came the task of talking to hers. Taking a slightly non-traditional approach, in late October Alicia & Bryan brought Alicia's parents out to dinner to discuss their future plans for marriage. She is incredibly thankful for having been allowed to be a part of this moment. Both sets of parents were truly excited and gave blessing to their future plans.

A ring was purchased and both Bryan and Heather managed to keep this a secret from Alicia. Plans were made for a proposal in Italy. While she hoped this would happen, she had no idea what he was planning or that a ring had been purchased. Wednesday, November 25th - 6 months to the day from when the couple officially started dating (although Alicia counts their anniversary from their first date) - Bryan woke Alicia up to make a morning run up to the Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a run Bryan always makes one morning when in Florence and provides a gorgeous view of the city of Florence and surrounding area. In a truly romantic moment as the two were embracing each other, enjoying the beautiful view, and debating their anniversary date (May 25th vs. April 21st) - Bryan pulls out the ring and asks Alicia if she'd like another anniversary. He got down one one knee. She said yes.