Emma messaged Caden on Hinge! (Emma is still not over the fact that she was on this app in the first place.) --- Caden had something about his relationship with the Lord in his profile, and Emma immediately knew she wanted to talk to him!

Emma and Caden went on their first date! --- After 2 days of messaging on Hinge, Caden asked Emma to go to a Hoover High School football game with him the next day! Emma was surprised how comfortable she felt already going out to meet this guy, and Victoria encouraged her to go. Emma took all the safety precautions, and Caden made sure to do anything to make her feel comfortable.

Emma and Caden went to Tony's for breakfast! --- When Emma got home from their first date, Caden immediately texted her to tell her how good of a time he had. He knew she was leaving for Atlanta for Katy's Halloween party the next day, and he wanted to see her before she left. So he asked her to go to breakfast the next morning, and she said yes! They talked for about 1.5 hours and had a great time.

Emma and Caden became official! --- After 3 days and 3 dates, Caden asked Emma to be his girlfriend! This was after he came over to her apartment, watched a movie with her, and stayed past midnight talking with her about a lot of deep things. They had in-depth conversations about religion, family, politics, friends, past relationships, insecurities, and fun things too. They both knew it was fast, but they both found an insurmountable amount of peace. They prayed together, and they knew that was the beginning of something really special.

Emma and Caden said they were falling in love with each other! --- One day after church, Emma was feeling something she hadn't felt in a long time. She looked to Caden and said, "Do you think there's a difference between being in love and falling in love?" Caden responded with his beliefs, and they talked about it for a while. Then Caden asked, "Why do you ask?" That was the moment they told each other they were falling in love, and they were both so happy!

Emma and Caden said that they loved each other! --- Emma always said she wanted to wait at least 6 months before saying that she loved someone. She was guarding her heart more than she had in the past, and Caden respected that beautifully. One night, they were hanging out at Caden's house just enjoying each other's company. Caden looked to Emma and said, "Any chance you've moved up that timeline?" Emma couldn't believe it because right before he said that, she had been feeling true love in her heart for him. That was the moment they told each other they were fully in love, and they felt the Holy Spirit surround them as they felt incredible joy and peace.

Emma and Caden said they wanted to marry each other! --- Caden said he knew after 3 weeks that he wanted to marry Emma, but it took Emma a little longer to take that leap of faith. Finally on their trip in Cincinnati, they told each other that they were in this for the long haul. They didn't see nor want a future with anyone else. Both of them had a hidden fear that one would leave the other, but this day that fear dissipated. They were so confident in their relationship and were excited for their future!

Emma and Caden said they were the loves of each other's lives! --- This might seem redundant to the previous milestone, but saying these exact words were incredibly meaningful to both Caden and Emma. They talked about how they wouldn't want to spend the rest of their lives with anyone else, and these specific words really put the things they were feeling into perspective.

Caden asked for Emma's parents' blessing! --- Unbeknownst to Emma, Caden was making a secret trip to ask her parents for their blessing for him to marry their daughter! They met halfway at a random Chick-fil-A, and Caden was sweating nervously the whole car ride. Once they sat down and ate together, he popped the question. Susan started crying, and she described Scott's reaction as "beaming." They were overjoyed that a wonderful gentleman such as Caden chose to spend the rest of his life with their beloved daughter.

Emma and Caden went ring shopping! --- Caden took Emma to Costco as an undercover way to tell her he just received her parents' blessing! He walked her to the jewelry counter, and she immediately realized what was happening. Emma was too excited to wait, so they drove across the street to Jared. Before this, Emma's cousin Leslie gifted them her great-grandmother's diamond for the ring. It is so special to have this family heirloom, and they are so grateful to Leslie for this beautiful gift. At Jared, Emma tried on several rings, and they had the best time. They ended up finding *the one* at Diamonds Direct the very next day!

Caden bought the engagement ring! --- Again unbeknownst to Emma, Caden went to Diamonds Direct to officially purchase the ring and had the family diamond set! He said he felt like an "official adult" after he made this purchase. He wanted to show everyone the ring, but he made a promise to Emma that they would be the only people to see the ring until the engagement. It was hard at first, but it made it that much more special once the day came!

THE ENGAGEMENT! --- Helena invited Emma to a "fancy brunch," but then dropped her off at the Vestavia dome! She was so surprised and excited! When she got out of the car, she strolled through a walkway lined with posters of the milestones of their relationship. Once she got to the staircase, she saw it was lined with framed pictures of the two of them. Once she reached the top, she turned to her left and saw Caden! She was so happy and gave him a big bear hug! Caden got out his Bible and read scripture from Ephesians, gave a 5 minute speech, and then popped the big question. Emma responded with a resounding, "YES!" Afterwards they ate Chick-fil-A while watching the Auburn football game, and then went to their engagement party that consisted of so many special people. Emma and Caden felt so loved by the Lord, each other, and so many others that day!