It’s Fall of 2016 in the small Mississippi River town of Winona, Minnesota. Winona State University is gearing up to welcome 1,500 new students, ready to embark on the next chapter of their lives. Bailee and I were without the slightest bit of ideas on what the next several years would have in store for us. Now here we are, a little over 7 years later, preparing to start yet another chapter of life together, in the book of marriage; but how did it all start?

The origin goes back much further for me than it does for Bailee. Bailee started off as the girl that I would notice around campus. To all my friends, I referred to her as my “Winona Crush”. The more I saw her, the more I started scheming up ways to get myself in front of her and shoot my shot. As the year went on, I had finally come up with a master plan, while Bailee didn’t even know I existed. I was part of an A Capella singing group on campus, and one of my fellow singers happened to be one of Bailee’s very good friends; this was my opportunity.

As everyone was arriving back to Winona after winter break, I knew I had to act quickly. Every weekend, I started asking our mutual friend to come over and hang out in my dorm before going out on the town. I made it very clear that she should bring ALL of her friends, with hopes that Bailee would be in attendance. Soon enough, Bailee and I started to spend a lot of weekends together and our individual friend groups became one.

At this point, I had thought my plan was moving along swimmingly, but to Bailee, I was just the tall guy with a dorm room big enough to host a pre-game on the weekends. She thought I was a nice guy and fun to hang out with, but definitely “not her type”. Once the word got out that I was interested in her as more than just a friend, she made it very clear to me that she did not feel the same. HOW DEVASTATING… But I had to respect her boundaries, even though I wasn’t ready to give up.

At the halfway mark of our second semester, I was asked to take part in a talent show fundraiser. It was Grease themed where we had to dance to songs from the musical, take part in various competitions, and end with a special talent. So of course, I invited Bailee and her friends to come watch. I got the feeling that she wasn’t going to come, but right before I went out to sing/play piano to “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band, Bailee came walking down the hallway on her way to the bathroom. We had some quick small talk, and my nerves went from high to higher, as I was about to perform in front of my “Winona Crush”, a song that during the dress rehearsal, I had a mental lapse and forgot how to play…

I went out on the stage and KILLED it; this was the moment I won over Bailee. Mission success! She now tells me that after she heard my singing voice, she "fell in LOVE" with me. Bailee and I started talking every day, eventually going on dates, and finally, on the very last day of freshman year (May 1st, 2017), we made it official. A true underdog story. I scored the grand prize that I, at many times, was convinced was unattainable.

From that day on, we accomplished so much together. We enjoyed our final years of college, graduated, bought a house in Anoka, MN, and got engaged at our favorite winery in the Winona area. Now, the next thing to do is get hitched, and we couldn't be more excited to do so, surrounded by all of our favorite people. Cheers!

Registry