A story as old as time (at least in this day and age), Deanna and Ryan met on a dating app called Hinge while they were both living in Columbus.

Being that the couple first started talking around the time of the pandemic, they started off by FaceTiming each other before meeting in-person. Deanna will never forget the Michael Jordan sweatpants Ryan was wearing when they first met for a walk (and yes, Ryan still owns these sweatpants). This first meeting also made Deanna realize how much Ryan genuinely cared and listened to her stories about teaching and life in general.

The two found they had a mutual love of the outdoors, board games, coffee, and Harry Potter. They also figured out how much their personalities complemented each other- the term "opposites attract" really holds true with D and Ryan! As they continued spending time together, they noticed how natural things felt between them until eventually they realized this was the real deal. This is what the couple likes to call "the slow burn" because their story was not immediate love at first sight, but was something that kept getting better and better with time, (and continues to do so)!

Ryan ~finally~ proposed to D on February 3rd, 2024 at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the couple had engagement pictures taken by Deanna's sister Sydney and her boyfriend Chris in Washington state!