This story starts at the most romantic place anyone could think of. Work. Though Mason and Linnea had worked together for nearly two years, they had not crossed paths until a random Thursday in January when they were placed on the same team for a two-day project kickoff. At some point while they were getting to know each other, Linnea told Mason she was working on building a cat tree out of a tree branch for Cleo. She mentioned that she was stuck because she didn't have access to a saw. Mason offered up the one he stole from his parents, and so they made plans that weekend to work on the tree. Instead of bringing flowers or a bottle of wine to their first date, Mason showed up with a hand saw. What started as a DIY project turned into eleven hours of movie watching and working on a jigsaw puzzle while getting to know each other over Culvers. Though Mason was planning to move to Minnesota and Linnea wasn't interested in dating, they quickly realized this was worth exploring.

Fast forward a year and a half, they decided it was time to take the next step and relocate to Minnesota to set their foundation. They got new jobs and moved out of Missouri. Two months later, they decided to do a long weekend in Duluth. It was Mason's birthday, so Linnea had snuck birthday decorations and presents to the Airbnb, and Mason had snuck a ring in his pocket. It was an unusually warm day in December, so they went on a hike at Split Rock Lighthouse. By the end of the hike, they were engaged!

They started house hunting and wedding planning at the start of 2025 (for the record, they would not recommend doing both of these at the same time). That May, they bought their first house together!

Over their three years together, they've watched countless movies, gone as many hikes as they could, consumed too many pints of Ben & Jerry's, and visited 25 states and 4 countries together. After being engaged for a year and a half, they can't wait to start this next chapter! They are super excited to celebrate with all of you on May 30th!