In the beginning, Chris and Nicole were at the same church, but they didn't know about each other. Chris had his signature laugh at church for years, and Nicole was relatively a newer member. One day, when Nicole was serving at the coffee center, her hair caught Chris's attention. Chris started making regular appearances when Nicole was at the coffee center.

Chris and Nicole went for a lunch outing at Panera Bread with friends after church. Their friends went to the wrong Panera initially, which led to an accidental first date for them. It was at the accidental first date that Chris discovered Nicole's love for bread.

Chris and Nicole went on a Cedar Point trip with some friends from church. It was on that trip they deepened their interest of each other and started thinking about pursuing each other.

While Chris was working up his courage to ask Nicole out, Nicole couldn't wait any longer and made the first move for the both of them. They enjoyed their first date getting ice cream and going to the lookout park, where they enjoyed each other's company and conversations together.

With help from some of Nicole's close friends, Chris (mostly) surprised Nicole with his proposal at Holland State Park during golden hour.