Madeline and Cole met in their high school marketing class at Pleasant Valley High School in 2017, but they actually met for the first time in 2006 at Madeline’s 6th birthday dinner. Both of their families happened to be sitting at the same hibachi table. While Cole and his sister were walking around the restaurant, Madeline was taking pictures of her cousins and happened to take some pictures of everyone on her mom’s camera. Those pictures were rediscovered in 2022. (See below - Madeline in front and Cole in the background)

Madeline and Cole went to lunch at Noodles and Company and then saw a movie (A Quiet Place). Followed by a drive around Bettendorf and LeClaire in Cole’s Jeep.

After moving to Ann Arbor, Cole took an evening to explore the city and found the perfect spot to propose: Nichols Arboretum—a beautiful forest with walking paths and a meadow. Cole took her to the meadow on her birthday and got down on one knee. And the rest is history!