Our love story starts in the most romantic way — on a dating app. Andrew liked my dating profile and, at the time, I had anticipated making the move to Rapid City for my career and had set my location to “Rapid City” while I was still in Stanley, North Dakota. He started the conversation and asked what church I went to, which, of course, I didn’t have an answer for because I wasn’t in Rapid City….yet. After having a laugh, we continued our messaging until I suddenly didn’t hear from him for weeks, Was I really being ghosted by a guy who initiated the interest? Then, out of the blue, he messaged me again asking if I wanted to continue the conversation. Having nothing to lose and still interested, I agreed. He told me he had been away studying for the bar exam. Seemed like a legit reason, so let’s see where this will go. We sparked up the conversation again and went on our first date the next day in August of 2023. I met him in Rapid City for dinner at Tally’s Silver Spoon, then again for a hike 2 days later. As we discovered more about each other, our similarities, interests, values, and attraction, I asked him, “Are we a thing?” We officially became a couple over Labor Day weekend.

We grew our love for each other, our faith, and the outdoors over kayak trips, hikes in the Black Hills, and trips to church, where we discovered our shared values and a deeper connection.

— Anna

I wanted the proposal to be one-of-a-kind and include both the special men in her life — me and Luca, her cat. On November 7, 2024 at my home in Rapid City while we were enjoying an evening in together, I tied the ring around Luca’s collar. I thought, “I’ll play it super cool and let her discover the ring.” I did NOT consider the fact that shiny, dangling objects attract cats. Luca kept getting distracted on his mission, trying to bat at the ring on the string, drawing attention to it. I decided to abort the original mission and I started my proposal speech…. And she said YES! The ring was safer on her finger, for sure.

— Andrew

We’re overjoyed to start our life adventure together as a married couple and are so excited to share this special day with the special people in our lives. Thank you so much for your love and support, and we can’t wait to celebrate in October!

— Anna & Andrew