As told by Maid of Honor, Christine Byrne.

In 2018, Mike and Lena were co-workers. And of course, their relationship started because of their shared love of dogs. Their office was pet-friendly, and Boss and Gibbs met sometime in the fall of that year.

And to be honest, the two dogs didn’t get along all that well at first. But Mike and Lena pretended like they did, because they needed an excuse to talk to each other. Soon, dog-themed Snapchats turned into a Hurricanes game (with a group), which eventually turned into an official first date.

Although they were hesitant to admit their feelings for each other to friends and family at first, they both knew that their connection was real. It’s not every day that you find someone else who’s perfectly in sync with your chill-but-driven, active-but-also-loves-couch-time demeanor, you know?

They got engaged on a cold North Carolina beach in December 2020, dogs in tow. It was a welcome event, but no surprise to either of them. Both realized very early on that this relationship was

the relationship, and they couldn’t be more excited to make it official and celebrate with all of you next September. (Oh, and if you see Boss and Gibbs in the meantime, please don’t tell them that they’re not invited to the wedding!)