His Version

Picture it: Minnesota. December 2021. After downloading and deleting Hinge several times, I decided to give it one more shot! And on December 19th, I matched with someone on Hinge for the last time, Ms. Erika Rath of Lewisville, TX. The icebreaker was a discussion of our faith and how important it is to us. After a few days of chatting, Erika asked if I was seriously interested in her or if I was just too scared to say I wasn't interested. This is a girl who knows what she wants. I knew at that moment that she was special.

Over the past couple of years, I have learned just how amazing of a person Erika is. Her kindness, sense of humor, patience, and heart for others are a few of the qualities that my bride-to-be possesses. Our time together has been the ultimate blessing and can't wait for a lifetime of laughs, deep conversations, and plenty of ice cream dates!

Her Version

After much consideration and not a lot of luck the traditional route (work, church, etc.), I decided to ask friends about their experience with online dating. I had a lot of people say Hinge was the app to download. I was hesitant about it. After downloading the app and then deleting it... I redownloaded it and matched with Matthew Cookson a day after his birthday. I joke I was his belated birthday present that year. His first statement was about his faith, which certainly caught my attention!

After a few dates, it came down to the wire of deciding if this was something we were going to pursue seriously. Matt asked me a very important question that helped me make the decision. He asked, "Do you want to end our time together? Or are you scared of what may come from it?" I felt CALLED OUT! This is what I needed in my life. Someone that will keep me accountable and ask me the difficult questions when I am indecisive. I am forever grateful for his boldness.

Along the way I've seen his humor, gentle spirit, and knowledge about so many topics. Those are a few of the wonderful qualities I see in my future husband. I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow together!

Registry

Thank you so much for your generosity! We feel so loved as we start our new beginning as husband and wife!