Georgia: I I started going to Crown College in the fall of 2022. I had an 8am New Testament History Class that was taught by an adjunct prof who was an associate pastor nearby. One day he made an announcement that a small group from his church needed childcare on Wednesday nights. New to a college budget & eager to earn some spending money, I emailed the small group leader right after class. I got the job and showed up on the first night. All the families were lovely and the kids and I had a blast playing downstairs. One little boy, Ezra (our ring bearer) was sad to be away from his mommy (Becki), so she stayed downstairs to comfort him and we began to get to talk and connect while we watched the kids play. Later that semester she asked me to babysit her kids separately, and I did! A few other times that school year she invited me over to their house for dinner!

I went home for the summer and when I got back, Becki invited me to go to the Minnesota State Fair with their family, new AuPair (Michelle), and neighbor girl. At first it didn't work with my schedule but then I was able to make a few adjustments and go! Michelle and I clicked and I went over to Becki & Caleb's house more often for dinner, painting, and naps on the couch. Becki knew I was hopelessly single and had been for my entire life and that I was looking to get out of my "season of singleness." She started to bring up her nephew who was an entrepreneur and about my age, just a little older. Michelle then got to meet him in person and came back with the report that he mowed lawns in the summer and lived in his mom's basement... I was less than impressed, but single enough to give it a shot. I told Becki that I would go to coffee with him if he were to come down sometime.

Riely: In August 2023 I was beginning to build my house when my aunt Becki told me about this girl that she thought I might be interested in meeting. She sent my mom some pictures of Georgia and the other girls from the State Fair for me to see. Because I was busy getting the building process of my house started and with my business still being busy, I didn't feel it would be fair to try and pursue a relationship with so many other things on my plate. Also, 3.5 hours of distance is a big commitment for meeting someone for a coffee date that might not even work out.

Georgia: Becki and Caleb surprised Michelle and I with tickets to a Christmas concert by For King and Country! I was so excited to go! The night I found out that I would get to go was also the night that Becki told me that her nephew, Riely, would be interested in a coffee date with me! I screamed at the top of my lungs the whole way from Becki and Caleb's back to my dorm at Crown. The concert was the day I was going to be getting back to the cities from Thanksgiving break with my family.

Riely: In mid November, I told my aunt Becki that I'd be interested in going on a coffee date with Georgia. I asked for her number and asked that she would give Georgia mine so she would know who it was when I texted.

Georgia: I got Riely's number from Becki and patiently waited. I didn't tell anyone (not even my mom or roommate) about what was going on.

Riely: A few days later I texted Georgia saying that I'd like to get know her.

Georgia: I was at a small group at Crown for kids who grew up overseas and now were in the US when my phone lit up with a notification from Riely Heimark. I had to hold all my emotions in as my brain darted in a thousand directions (mostly happy ones). I left small group, read the text and went to a worship night with Michelle at Crown. When worship was over we sat in her car while I texted with Riely, and she texted with this guy named Noah (one of our groomsmen)! I have been on cloud 9 ever since.

Riely: When I sent the text it probably took me 15 minutes to figure out what I wanted to say and how to say it because this would be my first impression. I finally had something written down and held my breath as I hit the "send" button. After I sent the message I didn't know if/when to expect a response back, but I hoped for one soon and it felt like hours went by... oh wait, they did! (sorry Riely -G). I kept myself busy, but I couldn't;t help but keep checking my phone.

Georgia: I went on Thanksgiving break and got to talk to Riely whenever he wasn't working on his house or with family. The first few days, he didn't sent the first text until 7pm and I was unwilling to send the first text, so I just sat there checking my phone all day long. Michelle and I went back and forth all day about how her relationship was going with Noah and their first date. I told her that she needed to convince both the boys to go the the concert with us so I could meet Riely in person. Also during that break was my first phone call with Riely. I didn't want to do it, but I knew it would be good. I was watching Nacho Libre with my brothers in the basement while my parents and grandparents sat in the living room upstairs talking. I snuck out of the house to sit in my car and talk to Riely. At this point in time nobody knew we were even texting. That call goes down as the most wild call to-date as I told him how I accidentally t-boned an old lady from my church that day and then he explained car insurance to me. When we were done, he asked how he could pray for me.... I think I'm starting to like this guy.

Riely: I had a lot of family things going on... including making gingerbread houses with my little cousins, what could be more important than that? I knew I wanted to meet you, but I didn't want to be third-wheeling Michelle and Georgia. If things went well with Michelle and Noah, then I would go to the concert with Georgia.

Georgia: Riely agreed to go to the concert and I was so happy! When I left home for the concert I told mom that Michelle knew a guy that might come to the concert with us. I knew he was coming for sure, but I didn't want my mom to know just in case things didn't go well.

Riely: I talked to Noah on Saturday Night to see how things went with Michelle and Georgia. I asked if he would want to go to the concert with them. He agreed and it looked like I was finally going to meet this girl.

Georgia: We agreed to go on a coffee date and then to the concert with Noah and Michelle! We'd meet at Becki and Caleb's, split for our dates, and then come back and drive to the concert together. When I was 15 minutes away from Becki & Caleb's my heart was beating faster than it was at the end of most of my cross country races in high school.

Riely: I got to Becki and Caleb's before Georgia did. I got to play with my cousins a little bit before she got there. Michelle and Noah also got some time to talk to one another some more.

Georgia: I got there, parked and rang the doorbell. Becki let me in and nobody was upstairs. I went downstairs, but before I could Ezra (ring bearer), asked me to carry him down the stairs. I was so relieved because my hands were full so I didn't have to hug, wave, shake hands, or anything. I went down the stairs and the lights were off. I made it down and there he was! I didn't make eye contact with him at all until we made it to our date. He had a beard... it scared me. I told Michelle that this would never work out.

Riely: I was playing with my cousins downstairs when I heard Georgia arrive. I was so nervous and didn't know if I should go up or is she would come down. I met her at the bottom of the stairs. Every soul in the house accompanied her down the stairs so 6 other people stood there as we had our first interaction. She would not look at me or speak directly to me other than "Hi! I'm Georgia, nice to meet you."

Georgia: We want up the stairs with all God's children and got ready to go. As we were trudging up the stairs, Michelle announced that we were going to dinner rather than coffee! Oh my surprise! We got in the car and went to this nice restaurant in town. We ate a soft pretzel and cheese quesadilla. We went back to Becki and Caleb's to meet up with Michelle and Noah. From there we drove to the concert. The concert was good and I sat with Riely separately from where Michelle and Noah were sitting. We found stuff to talk about, mostly my overwhelming load of school work that needed to be done.

Riely: I didn't know that we were going to dinner until Michelle told Noah to tell me that Georgia really wanted to go to dinner. So I picked a place and surprised her with it. The conversation was really good and I thought she was pretty amazing and wanted to continue to get to know her.

Georgia: That was a good night. On the way out of the concert I grabbed his arm (chivalry..right) and then in the car he held my hand!!!! I thought "oh dear! We've crossed all the boundaries, this can never work... I was right... I never should have done this." Spoiler alert: it ended up being okay!

Riely: Yeah, that happened but it worked. We made it back to Becki and Caleb's and she went back to school. I waited up for her to tell me that she made it. She finally got back to me telling me that she got locked out of her dorm, forgot about a quiz that was the next day, and that her toothpaste was frozen from being in the car for so long. How does a guy respond to that?

Georgia: Well, that's true. The next day I told people what happened and they were all so happy for me! The next few weekends we diligently planned for him to come down with Noah to spend time together. Mostly it was me napping on the couch and one time we made Christmas cookies together! We talked through the end of November and into December when we began to think that this could me more than just a fun friendship.

Riely: Becki and Caleb had an old Buick LeSabre that needed to be fixed! What a perfect excuse to come to the cities! She was the reason I was going and the car was an excuse to not let everyone know she was the main reason I was going.

Georgia: I finished my finals and stayed with Becki and Caleb until Riely could come down. I knew that we could potentially start dating because he had called my dad and asked for his permission. We went to this beautiful bridge in Minneapolis and I thought "Surely he'll ask me here!" It didn't happen! Later that night, when we were sitting on the couch talking, he asked me if I would be his girlfriend! 12-16-2023, the first and last day I ever became someone's girlfriend. The next day I went home to Iowa and planned to go see him and meet his family for New Year's Eve!

Riely: After getting to know Georgia for awhile, I knew she was somebody I wanted to date. I wanted to ask her dad for permission to date her before I asked her to be my girlfriend. The conversation went well and I knew I would ask her soon! We went to the bridge and it didn't seem like the right time or place, though it was romantic. After a long conversation n the couch that night, I asked Georgia to be my girlfriend. Her reaction was priceless!

Georgia: Dating was going well and we kept getting to know each other and each other's families well. Almost every weekend we were able to spend time together. The conversation began to shift from dating things to the topic of engagement. I was ready, but it had only been 2 months at that point. We prayed for awhile and both knew we were ready. I patiently waited as he picked out a ring, talked to my dad, and planned a proposal.

Riely: Dating was going well, the conversation was shifting and I liked it. At this point I knew she was the woman I wanted to marry, but I had some things I needed to work out first. I bought a ring, talked to her dad, and worked out the best way to surprise her.

Georgia: It was Easter weekend and Riely came to celebrate with my family. I thought he would ask my dad, but I didn't notice either of them gone at the same time. I added pictures of Riely to my Facebook to kinda... prime the pump and let people know I was even dating this guy.

Riely: I ended up getting to talk to her dad without her knowing. I knew that the next time I saw her I would ask her. I did everything I could not to spoil the surprise. (Have you ever tried to surprise Georgia? It's next to impossible)

Georgia: I knew that couldn't go one weekend without Riely and since he came to see my family over Easter, I thought that I could go see his the next weekend. I arrived on Thursday night! Friday morning I woke up, ate breakfast with Riely, showered, helped him whitewash the kitchen in his house, and told him stories. We went to Zorbaz for lunch and had good conversation. All week Riely told me he wanted to go on a hike in Maplewood State Park. At Zorbaz, he brought it up again and I agreed! We came back to his parents to grab our lightweight jackets. I noticed he brought his backpack, but thought nothing of it.

Riely: Since I had talked to her dad, I knew I was going to propose. I didn't have a plan, but knew I wanted it to happen in Maplewood. We went on a hike that was much longer than it appeared on the map. I fought off a snake that "almost ate me alive, Riely" and took lots of breaks.

Georgia: that was the longest hike ever. Once we had made the loop, Riely told me he wanted to take a picture with me. I was so exhausted so I grabbed my phone and took a selfie. He told me he wanted a different one that was on a bridge that we had already gone on. I was like "weird, but okay!" We made it there and I put my phone on an interpretive plaque. He put down his backpack and set a timer on the camera of his phone... it was actually a video. He told me to turn around and he was going to hug me from behind. Once more, I thought "weird, but okay!"

Riely: The hike was long and we were almost back. I knew the perfect place to propose. I knew the perfect place to propose. I knew she was exhausted, but my question for her would give her more than enough energy to make it back to the car. I set up my phone to try and capture the moment. My heart was beating out of my chest as I grabbed the ring box out of my backpack. She was still clueless. I stepped up behind her, opened the box, said her name, and got on one knee, then I asked her to marry me. She froze and asked if I had talked to her dad. She couldn't believe me. She said YES!

Georgia: I thought it was weird that he would want a picture of us from behind and I had watched so much TLC growing up that I should have seen this coming from a mile away. I heard the box go "creek" as he opened it and was like "no actual way!" When he said my name I turned around, covered my mouth and listened to his question. He said "Georgia, will you marry me?" and I said " Did you talk to my dad?" He said that he had and I was frozen for a solid 45 seconds before I whispered a faint "yes" and then a more distinct "yes" after that. Then I jumped around and shouted for joy! To this point I had not kissed Riely yet, as we were saving it for engagement so then, I asked if we could kiss and of course he said yes and we shared our last first kiss!

The rest of the day was magical and we got to share the news with all our family and friends! I love my ring so much and that night I couldn't fall asleep so I stayed up until 6am watching it sparkle! ✨

We can't wait to share our big day with you!

Registry