On June 15, 2019 Maddy and Joe walked into Ballroom, a bar in the small Seattle neighborhood of Fremont, both still unaware of the other’s existence. It was only by chance that these two ended up at the same place at the same time - Joe originally did not want to go out that night, but was persuaded by his friend (and now groomsman) Quinn, and Maddy was out for a birthday party.

Upon Maddy’s first glance at Joe she couldn’t stop staring and knew she had to talk to him. After many failed attempts at catching his gaze, Maddy took matters into her own hands and marched right up to Joe and gave him a big smooch. (JK!) Maddy accepted defeat and resolved her sorrows the only way she knew how, dancing on the dance floor of course! While dancing Maddy recognized one of the guys that Joe was sitting with earlier, so she ran over to him and asked if his friend was single. Joe's friend confirmed that Joe was a bachelor, then helped introduce Maddy to Joe (and that guy was Quinn, the hero of this story!). Joe and Maddy immediately hit if off and talked and danced all night and the rest is history.

Maddy’s Dad (Tim) is infamously known for his sage advice, which our family likes to call TIM Talks. Tim always told Maddy that a good test of love is if you can have fun while backpacking with someone. So, after 2 months of dating, Maddy and Joe decided to go on a backpacking trip to Gothic Basin in the North Cascades, along with two dogs (Edgar & Maya) that they borrowed from their family and friends. The start of the journey was exciting but halfway through Maddy and Joe (briefly) lost both dogs and later on close to the trail-end they themselves also got lost in the foggy weather trying to find the camp area near the appropriately named Foggy Lake. During both of these unexpected challenges Maddy and Joe were able to keep each other calm and eventually they found the dogs and also found their way to a beautiful camp site by Foggy Lake. They spent the rest of the trip laughing, exploring, soaking in the views, sharing stories, and learning so much about the other. It was on this trip that Maddy fully understood her father’s advice and she knew she had fallen in love with Joe. And Joe had fallen in love with Maddy. However, these two dummies both sat on this knowledge for another two months until Joe finally worked up the courage to officially tell Maddy he was in love with her.

Fast forward 4.5 years later they’ve made so many cherished memories together. From dancing at music festivals with friends, skiing and snowboarding in the mountains, summer weekend backpacking trips, boating adventures through the San Juan Islands, time spent with each other’s families, buying their first home, raising their crazy but lovable dog, Izzy, to getting engaged last September on a backpacking trip.

And now, the next (and arguably most exciting) chapter is on the horizon, and they can’t wait to celebrate it with their favorite people!

Group gifting is available on the Crate and Barrel registry for specific high $ items