On St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Atlanta, we met at New Realm Brewing for what was supposed to be a quick first date. Eight hours later, we were still on the Beltline, talking, laughing, and realizing this might be something. Our first date felt extremely comfortable and we really enjoyed getting to know each other.

One of the things that clicked early was how naturally we got along. Conversation was easy, the humor was there, and we quickly realized we had a lot in common, including some very controversial shared experiences/opinions, like never watching Game of Thrones and having absolutely no interest in board games. We also happened to have the same profession, although thankfully different enough jobs that work has never taken over our lives together.

Slayton knew Katie was special when he went to Katie’s apartment and spotted a Dishoom cookbook on her coffee table, one of his favorite restaurants in London. That was enough to make him think, okay… this feels promising. Katie knew Slayton was special all along, as he has kept her laughing every day since they met and their relationship has been fun and easy.

In October 2025, we took a trip to Japan. While visiting a town near Mt. Fuji, Slayton planned to propose with the beautiful backdrop of the mountain. Unfortunately, the weather would not cooperate. Even after coordinating with a photographer and pushing plans to the next day, it remained the same. Slayton went ahead with the proposal, and even though Mt. Fuji wasn't visible behind us it was still an incredibly special day for us both.

We are so happy that we have found each other and we're even more excited to celebrate what’s next with all of you!