Chris' Version

In September of 2022, my Cedarville soccer teammate, Grant Kovac, and I met at a Cedarville Homecoming game, where I was also able to meet his wife Dani-Joy (DJ for short). It had been some time since Grant and I were able to connect, and after only briefly meeting DJ at their wedding that Labor Day Weekend, I was very excited to get to know her. I recently had moved to Richmond, IN for work, so being an hour away from them was something I was really excited about! But as fate would have it, DJ had a stunning blonde best friend who seemingly popped up out of nowhere and joined us during the middle of the soccer game, sitting to the right of DJ. Soon after her arrival, Grant introduced me as "Chrando" (my college nickname) but then quickly provided my actual name since it more or less confused her. We both said hi before proceeding back to our conversations.

But just a few moments later, Hannah attempted to compliment my shoes by saying "Nice sneaks", but no one heard what she said. It grabbed my attention, and she nervously rephrased her statement with a jumbled: "Uhhh nice sneaks, I mean...I like your shoes!" I replied with a quick thank you before we went back to our conversations, and she soon left the game with perhaps a bit of embarrassment and me disappointed she didn't stay longer.

I wanted to ask Grant more about her, but I refrained because I was going on a first date to a Colts game the next day and felt bad about cancelling last-minute. Nevertheless, I decided to take a Gen Z approach by following her on Instagram that night to at least let her know that I noticed her.

That Monday morning after my date, I received a text from Grant asking how my date went and that "Atty" (Hannah's nickname) was interested in me. Beyond stoked, I realized I was already going to be in Cedarville that Wednesday for work, so Grant set up a plan for me to come over to his place for dinner and have Hannah, his neighbor, stop by to play games. Grant was pivotal in elevating my level of interest from "intrigued" to "ready to ask out asap" by highlighting her soccer ministry she was involved in, her passion for fitness, and obvious devotion to the Lord. But I did not back up my level of enthusiasm with any sort of action, as I was as nervous as could be and did not even attempt to even ask for her number or see if she wanted to go on a date. Instead, Grant once again did the legwork and gave me her number and left me to decide what I would do next. That next morning, I asked if we could FaceTime that night, to where I asked her out for dinner at one of her favorite spots in Dayton, Thai Nine.

On Wednesday, October 12, we went on our first date, and I knew right away that she was someone I wanted to marry (evidence in the Notes picture). She was exactly who Grant had described her as: someone faithful to the Lord, passionate about sports ministry, a dedicated friend, and an easy person to talk to. Most importantly, she was kind of person I wanted to marry, and the following dates quickly confirmed that she was even more than I could ask or pray for. Hannah is generous with her time and resources, she is extremely competitive in anything she does, she is organized and responsible, she is a diligent worker, and she is deeply committed to her friends and family. I had always desired to be with someone who saw life as a mission to reach those in our circles of life with the gospel, and Hannah was exactly on that same wavelength.

What we saw in one another was confirmed by God through the affirming support of our friends and family, and we made it clear soon into the relationship on that we wanted this to lead to marriage.

On September 22, 2023, I asked Hannah to marry me near the Pier Lighthouse on Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Indiana. We had friends and family coming that evening for what Hannah believed to be a birthday weekend celebration for me -- since I was turning 29 on the 24th -- became a surprise engagement party! We had planned that weekend months in advance, and I knew right away that it would be the only time I would have considered proposing.

H&C

Wedding Day

4:30 PM

Ceremony