Their journey began in 2015, when Lexi, Dena's best friend, kept trying to get her to hangout with her friends, Shawn & Ian. Of course Dena had to make things difficult by constantly dodging the invites. She was super hesitant since they were "older" (only by 2 years LOL) and Lexi told her Shawn thought she was really cute.

Thankfully Lexi was persistent & after months of dodging invites, Dena agreed to hangout with the crew for the first time in October of that year. From there the 4 of us were inseparable and four months later Shawn & Dena started dating.

Fast forward to August 23, 2023 when Shawn pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. He got down on one knee at Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana. Shawn made it as magical as could be - it was the proposal of Dena's dreams.

Over the years, they got to see so many of each others milestones and experience many together. Shawn got to see Dena graduate from high school, move into college, and graduate from college twice! Dena got to see Shawn go from an HVAC guy who did landscaping on the weekends to launching his company and being a full time business owner/landscaper. She's watched his equipment grow from just a few mowers to many machines and trucks. Together they've gone to prom, bought a house, rescued a dog, and now they're planning their forever!!

After 8+ years, these two are finally tying the knot. Dena gets a new last name and Shawn knows exactly what he's signing up for. ;)

Cheers to forever.

Shawn and Dena have had an invisible string quietly pulling them together since long before they started dating. Unbeknownst to them, their paths have crisscrossed countless times over the years.

Shawn's first friend in kindergarten and Dena's first friend in preschool were siblings, so they've probably been to a few of the same birthday parties. They grew up on the same street but in different towns. Dena's aunt and uncle even rented an apartment from Shawn's parents. Shawn would sometimes go over there to help his dad do maintenance. Sometimes, Shawn would longboard past Dena's house when he was in middle school - Dena saw him a few times and ironically would run inside scared because she thought he was scary skater boy. Every winter, they would go sledding on the same hill.

Eventually, it was Dena’s best friend, Lexi, who finally pulled that string tight. She introduced them and they've been together ever since.