Zach and I both grew up in the small state of Rhode Island and even attended the same high school. Despite walking the same halls every day and sharing mutual friends, we never had the chance to meet.

Fast forward more than eight years later, I was out with friends and dared to message someone I've never spoken to. The lucky recipient was Zach. He responded right away, and a week later, we went on our first date. A few weeks after that, we decided to take a weekend trip to Portland, Maine. When we returned, we decided to officially become a couple.

We later added a four-legged sidekick named Rigatoni and then decided to pack up to move to Tampa, FL.

After almost two years in Florida, Zach decided it was time to pop the question. He told me that we were meeting up with friends in St. Pete, which is very dog-friendly so suspicion didn’t cross my mind (or else I would have gotten my nails done). He even missed the exit (out of nerves), and I still had no clue. We took Rigatoni for a walk before "meeting our friends" and while I was looking out at the water searching for dolphins, when I finally turned back, there was Zach. Down on one knee (Rigatoni as well), with a secret photographer ready to capture the moment.

Now, five years later—on November 8th, the same weekend we fell in love in Portland, Maine—we'll be back in our home state of Rhode Island getting married.