Tristan and Laurin met for the first time during their freshman year at Bridgewater College. Tristan lived in a dorm room across the hall from one of Laurin's high school friends, Taylor (who is now one of the groomsmen!). They would see each other occasionally, but it wasn't until 2 years later Laurin and Tristan went on their first date. It was truly a date to remember because they got into a car accident! Fortunately, no one was hurt and Laurin and Tristan were still able to enjoy their first of many dates together.

Tristan asked Laurin to "officially" be his girlfriend on November 11, 2017 when they reached the overlook at Hone Quarry (a hike 30 minutes from Bridgewater). Tristan says he chose this date so it would be easy for Laurin to remember... he knew her so well already!

Tristan made weekend plans for him and Laurin to visit Hunter (groomsmen) and some other friends back in their college town, Bridgewater, VA. Tristan gave Laurin a brief overview of what the plans were going to be while they were visiting, but it was all pretty much up in the air. It is important to note that Tristan did mention they were all planning on going for a hike because he knew how much Laurin loved the trails in the area. When they arrived in VA, they all went out to downtown Harrisonburg like they did in college, and caught up over drinks with their good friends. Before going to bed that night, the group decided to go hiking the next morning at Hone Quarry.

Everyone was up early ready for the hike the next morning. Laurin still can't believe she didn't have any suspicions, because for this group to be up and ready early in the morning was a RARE thing, especially after a night of drinking. Anyways, they went to their favorite bagel place, Mr.Jay's, and enjoyed their breakfast while, funny enough, talking about the other couple's engagement story.

When Laurin and Tristan got into the car to head to the hike, Laurin looked at Tristan and said,

"I don't want anything big when you propose. I like how low-key Emily and Hunter's was."

Tristan responded with, "Woah woah woah, you think I'm going to propose soon!?"

"Haha, you're right. You haven't even taken me ring shopping yet like you said you were going to! Also, there's no way you've saved to buy a ring."

"Let's go shopping when we get back home then, okay?"

"Fine."

Despite the 20 degree windy weather, the group took out on the hike. Tristan, Taylor, and Hunter were booking it up the trail, while Laurin with her dog, and the other girls did their best to keep up. When they got to the top, the girls started to take pictures of the beautiful view. Laurin wanted a picture with Tristan and their dog, because after all, this was where he asked her to be his girlfriend about 5 years ago. Laurin picked up Faye (their dog) and got Tristan to stand next to her for some pictures. Laurin put Faye back on the ground, and as she stood up, she noticed Tristan on one knee reaching his hand into his coat pocket.

After Laurin said yes, Emily and Elise (the girls who came along) were standing with a bottle of champagne ready to celebrate!

When they retuned from the hike, the group went to celebrate with some food and drinks at a local bar. The bartender played "Marry Me" by Bruno Mars and the whole bar cheered for them. The rest of the day was a blur :)

Laurin could not (and still can't) believe he pulled this off without her having any idea of what was happening. Every time Laurin shares this story, she will tell you how silly and oblivious she feels for not catching on sooner. With the help of amazing friends, Tristan managed to get Laurin back to their special place to carry out the most perfect proposal.