There's no way a simple swipe of the phone on a photo could change the complexion of the rest of our lives. That certainly is what we were thinking when we matched on a dating app in August of 2019. But once the match was made and the conversation started, we knew that we had something truly special in the works. Our first date was delayed by a week after Andy was called for storm duty for Hurricane Dorian restoration effort but the wait was more than worth it. Our first date was September 14th, 2019 and the night started with a couple happy hour drinks at Wine Room before our movie and dinner at IPIC. Following the movie, instead of ending the night like normal people, Ashley asked Andy if he wanted to get some drinks at Tin Roof. Of course Andy said yes without hesitation. Next thing we knew, it was after midnight and we had been together for 8 hours straight. Clearly, we had something special.

Over the next few months, Ashley and Andy were able to experience many firsts including their first hockey game together, first weekend getaway, meeting the families, and first concert where they said "I love you" for the first time (not at the concert, but the night before). From there, the two spent a lot of time together while Ashley was on summer vacation from school. They spent some time with Andy's parents in north Orlando as well as friends that they know from the Palm Beach area. Their relationship and love for each other grew with every passing day and they knew they were the ones for each other. By late September 2020, things were getting very serious and it was time for Andy to do some searching.

First, Andy contacted Harvey, Ashley's father, to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage and Harvey granted Andy permission. Next, Andy went to Donna, Ashley's mother, to search for the perfect engagement ring. Due to another few storm duty callouts, the ring search and purchase took a little longer than expected. By the second week of November, Andy had the ring and now it was just finding the perfect time to propose!

While the ring search was in progress, the relationship took a very big step when Ashley and Andy made an offer on a house in Palm Beach Gardens that was accepted! The two were set to move into their house on December 15th and while Ashley was busy packing her apartment, Andy was devising a plan for a proposal. Keeping it under wraps, Andy contacted Hannah (Ashley's sorority little) and Lexy (her friend that lives in their new neighborhood, Evergrene) to help with the proposal which was set to happen on December 19th, the Saturday after the two moved into the house.

The plan was pretty simple, Ashley and Andy were to meet Lexy and Brett (Lexy's boyfriend) at The Tiki in Evergrene for drinks before their "dinner reservations". Lexy and Brett escorted the photographer and found him a good hiding spot until the couple arrived. Hannah had already arrived to Palm Beach Gardens from Tampa to surprise Ashley and to help her parents decorate the house while the proposal was happening.

The proposal was supposed to happen at 5:15 PM (about 15 minutes before sunset) and everything was going as planned until someone (Ashley...) was taking longer than Andy expected to get ready. The two arrived to The Tiki just after 5:15 PM and met up with Brett and Lexy. As the sunlight started to diminish, Andy asked Ashley to take a walk with him to see what the beach area by the lake looked like. After Ashley agreed to explore, they walked to the beach and took a seat on a bench nearby. Andy told Ashley how much she meant to him and how happy he was to be with her, then he asked her to stand up (which she was confused by since they just sat down) and he asked her to marry him. After the moment set in, Ashley said yes.. and here we are!!!