Emma and Zac’s story starts out like any modern romance – with a swipe right on Tinder. Neither remember any initial thoughts or what conversation broke the ice but it honestly may be better that way so there’s no evidence of just how un-smooth Zac can be. Their conversations moved to texting and Snapchat until it came out that Zac had never seen Ghostbusters and Emma suggested a movie night. At this point Emma lived in Stoughton with her roommate and the roommate’s two dogs which was a nice bonus for Zac who got to play with the puppies while enjoying getting to know Emma and the movie. Emma and Zac continued to see each other and get to know each other better and while that was fun, it wasn’t generating the initial spark either were looking for. So, they ultimately decided to go their separate ways late in 2017 and remain friends.

And that was that – The End!

BUT then the calendar flipped to 2018 and Emma and Zac started to realize they each missed talking to the other. After talking more and more frequently – still as friends – they finally admitted to each other that they missed spending time together and were open to giving things a shot. They started going on dates more regularly and on the fateful day when Zac officially adopted Nala, Emma was at the apartment to meet the new puppy and even teach her to sit! (This story is really starting to center around dogs, isn’t it?).

Emma and Zac officially became a couple on April 26th, 2018 and kicked off a summer full of trips to baseball games, concerts at barbeque festivals, and adventures around Madison. It was during this time that Zac surprised Emma with tickets to the first musical they’d see together – Hello Dolly in Chicago – Emma had talked about wanting to see a show and Zac hadn’t been to one yet but was willing to give it a shot. What followed in the years after was more adventures and experiences together that would usually involve their great friends. From trying new restaurants in Madison, to Emma learning just how competitive Zac is in rec sports, to Zac learning just how seriously Emma takes her holidays and decorating for them – and ultimately feeding the addiction by taking her to Bronners, the “world’s largest Christmas store” in Michigan – Emma and Zac’s relationship continued to grow and there may or may not have been a first “I love you” thrown in there at some point.

And then came 2020… With Zac’s roommate of seven years (including time in college), Ryan, ditching him and Madison for the cloudy skies of Seattle, Zac had a decision to make – find another apartment or bite the bullet and buy a house. And on top of that there was this girlfriend Emma to think about and if she’d ultimately want to move into whichever was the ultimate winner. Zac began looking for a house and required that Emma be heavily in the process with the thought that she would most likely be moving in soon – as well as providing Zac with the second opinion he desperately needed. As Covid was beginning to spread and the two began to wonder if people would still let them inside their homes to check them out, they (Emma will say finally) found the winner with lucky number 11! Emma officially moved in a little bit after the keys were turned over and they are still happily in this house today!

Since then, their lives have been full of adventures and busy weekends – so much so that a weekend free to be lazy could be like a gift from heaven. This included many sporting events, trips to breweries and wineries, season tickets to musicals, countless dinners with friends, and many weddings. But there was a next step for the two of them to take and let’s just say Emma was feeling…antsy…about it.

After a kickball game where Emma didn’t play because she was feeling unwell, Zac let Matt and Brynna know that it was time for him to go shopping. Now since Emma went with Matt to help pick out Brynna’s ring, it was only right that Brynna would accompany Zac as well. This set the plan in motion. As most know – Emma is obsessed with Christmas and is determined to find the PERFECT tree every year. So what better time to pop an important question then when she’s already in a good mood (and distracted). As Emma was on the prowl for that perfect tree, Zac, Matt, Brynna and the secret photographer Brynna helped Zac book followed close behind – although the photographer was a little too close if you ask Zac but, thankfully, Emma was too focused on her task to notice. Once Emma picked that perfect tree (after confirming to the others that this in fact was the one), the next stage of Zac’s plan came into play – I mean he already needed to get on the ground because it was his job to cut the tree Emma picked down, so he was already halfway there! Wanting to surprise her, Zac claimed there wasn’t a good place to start cutting it down and asked Emma to check the other side of the tree. Emma, growing more frustrated and confused with the many “are you sure” questions and overall process of getting this tree down, finally went to the other side after Matt and Brynna also encouraged it. Then when she came back around, Zac was there on one knee and holding a ring. Through the tears of surprise and joy, she said yes and they enjoyed some champagne Brynna had tucked in her purse before Zac had to get back to the task at hand – actually cutting down the tree.

Since then they’ve happily continued to go on their adventures and spend time with friends but now as an engaged couple! After a year and a half of planning and waiting for the big day to come, they are very excited to celebrate with everyone as they now become husband and wife!