It all started in the great state of Indiana at IU for two freshmen, Alex Hermann and Jacob Chudy. They had heard of each other vaguely through family murmurs and outside chatter. Still, they had never officially met each other until the fall of 2020 when Alex and her friend Sadie (Jacob's cousin) needed a local townie to show them a hotspot and Bloomington staple called the Zoom-Flume.

After some laughter and fruitful conversations, combined with positive first impressions and Jake feeling intoxicated by Alex's beauty, he had no choice but to organize a caving excursion with her and some friends to get to know this girl further. During this event, as they progressed through the cave, they could see glimpses of each other's adventurous and goofy sides. It's safe to say that sparks were flying between these two.

From then on, flirtatious Snapchat took effect, along with a DM that Alex sent to Jacob, inviting him to come with her to the Salt Company, a campus ministry at IU with a convenient seat open next to her.

Following this, they started going on various one-on-one endeavors, including spontaneous late-night Indy road trips, happy-meal drive-through runs, and a bit of trespassing, which ultimately led to Jacob confessing his verbal liking of Alex on the docks at Lake Monroe. Alex then expressed these feelings back toward Jake, but both deemed it wise to wait until post-summer to start officially dating.

After the longest summer of their lives filled with lots of wake surfing, googly eyes, and constant jokes from jealous outsiders for their "friend-boy & friend-girl" relationship, they couldn't wait any longer. So on a romantic evening, on a star-filled night of July 31st, 2021, at the cottage on Snow Lake, after Alex saw her first ever shooting star, Jacob asked her to be his girlfriend.

This led to their obvious dating phase, which made for many amazing experiences, including mattress sledding, cliff jumping, and a signature Nutcracker show date where they expressed their love for each other. But with the highs came the inevitable lows. Temporary long distances, lack of communication, and Jacob's inconsistent driving made for some difficult talks and late nights. However, by Jacob & Alex recognizing their imperfections and remembering to trust in Jesus Christ and his plan for them, they were able to navigate through tribulations with hope and faith.

As some time passed, remembering to keep Christ as their firm foundation, they started to look into the future together and could see nothing but each other in it. Talking amongst themselves about getting married, growing old together, and starting a family became the norm. This then ultimately progressed into Jacob asking Alex a weighty question in a hot air balloon this fall: "Will you marry me?" Alex responded with a whopping "YES!".

Jacob and Alex are excited to celebrate their wedding day next year with friends and family. They are so thankful for everyone who has loved and supported them throughout their journey and story together and wouldn't want them to miss it. Join us in Tippecanoe, IN, on June 14th!

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