Arianna and Brandon met the old fashioned way on the romantic and timeless dating app Tinder. Arianna had just celebrated her 21st birthday and was on summer break from college working at Sephora. Arianna decided to try this dating app thanks to some encouragement from her childhood friend Catherine.

Brandon had just made the drive from Indiana to Alaska to discover the state his great uncle Tom had once explored many years ago. Brandon was determined to find adventure and purpose in the land of the midnight sun. He left his stable Amazon job and with reluctant parents he made the drive from the flat lands of the midwest to the mountainous terrain of the north.

It was not too long until Brandon and Arianna matched online and honestly if you have any experience with dating apps in Alaska the options were slim so it is not a complete chance that these two found each other. The conversation was great and Brandon eagerly wanted to meet Arianna in person. Arianna did have many excuses for not meeting up immediately . Her car was just recently stolen from the mall while she was hard at work selling eyeshadows. Brandon thinking that the car story was fabricated, but truly Arianna was without transportation. Soon the stolen vehicle was found and finally after about a month of talking they could meet at last. They met at a Sushi restaurant and from then they went bowling and ended the night with a movie. Brandon kept saying that he did not want the night to end. Yes they too both wished the night could last forever. But reality set in and Arianna's summer break was coming to a close and Brandon was on a job hunt and becoming settled in his new home. Something started as casually talking doing long distance 3,000 miles away from each other turned in to daily hour long conversations and even FaceTiming until they both fell asleep. Brandon would call Arianna every morning when she had a big test to make sure she made it to all of her finals. Arianna was there as a voice of encouragement for Brandon as he trained for his first marathon. The distance was challenging, but it helped them form great conversation and connection. They were not distracted by looks their attachment and relationship was formed on personality and interests.

Arianna flew home for Western Easter. Arianna was given Holy Friday off and she thought this was an opportunity to grow her relationship with Brandon. On this particular visit home Arianna was looking through Brandon's Uncles Photography book of the west that inspired Brandon to travels to Alaska. As Arianna found the book she began flipping through pages and stopped at a certain picture. It caught Arianna off guard, but what she was looking at was the small chapel she had grown up going to nearby her street. She began to ask Brandon about the picture because it was taken on the street Arianna grew up on. The next day Arianna went to Lazarus Saturday at her Orthodox Church. Brandon on the other hand was headed to Arianna's childhood church because his friend Jared and his parents were in town and wanted to see St. Johns. As Arianna exited the service there in the narthex she saw the man she had been spending so much time with over the phone but he was standing there looking on the posted church bulletin board realizing as he looked he recognized a girl from some of the photos. He had put two and two together that this church this cathedral was where Arianna grew up. This surprise caught them both off guard. Brandon had never met any of Arianna's family, but today was the day. They had not decided this was in God's plan that Brandon would be introduced to the church and Arianna's family.

From there Arianna made visits to Indiana to meet Brandon's sweet family. After Arianna graduated from college she made the choice to return to Alaska to pursue her relationship with Brandon. They learned much more about each other going through COVID and raising two fur babies Maple and Moose. Soon Arianna and Brandon's families met and Arianna realized they might love Alaska more than her family did. As the relationship flourished the only question left unanswered was when were they getting married?

Brandon and Arianna had been together for six almost seven years when Arianna was curious when oh when would Brandon ask the question. He finally proposed on the beach in Mexico on March 28th 2024. It was the most magical and special day. Arianna and Brandon have two fur babies Maple and Moose and love playing pickleball, board games, and cooking together. They are incredibly excited to start their married life together with all of their family and friends.