Alec and Marenda met on a dating app called Hinge back in December 2019 when she was a college senior in Springfield, MO and he was in his first year of medical school in Kansas City, MO. With a whitty science joke, their long-distance love story began. After texting every day for nearly a month, Marenda traveled to KC for their first date. They spent their second date (several weeks later) studying in a coffee shop in Kansas City, foreshadowing the next few years in school together. Their third date was to a formal event at Alec’s (and Marenda’s soon to be) medical school. Starting a relationship during a pandemic made for a unique, non-traditional fourth date when Marenda drove 12 hours across the country to stay with Alec and his family in GA. What they both planned to be a week, turned into over a month. (Marenda didn’t end up needing to use her “emergency escape plan” to leave early after all).


After returning to KC, their “medium distance” relationship started. During Marenda’s first year of medical school in Joplin, the couple (and their cat, Willaby) commuted 2 hours between the two campuses every week to stay together. The following year, the distance grew when Alec moved to West Palm Beach, FL to complete his third year rotations. With many weekend trips, they made the best of it until Marenda moved to West Palm Beach the following year as well. Their next adventure moved them (and their now two cats) to Columbia, SC for Alec’s ophthalmology residency. Although away from friends and family, they knew that they could live anywhere as long as they were together.


Alec planned the perfect surprise engagement on November 19, 2023. After a morning of boating and an afternoon of Marenda reading and napping, they took a walk on the beach to a local restaurant for dinner with his mom and sister (Olivia). Alec led Marenda to where Olivia allegedly wanted a picture with her boyfriend. Once Marenda realized Olivia was not there and saw the bottles of champagne and flowers, she realized someone was probably going to get engaged here (awwwww). It took a second for her to realize that it was her (ahhhhh). Alec proposed to Marenda on a beautiful hidden beach path during golden hour where a photographer captured the entire moment. Still in shock, Marenda asked if her parents knew to which Alec responded, “they’re here.” Marenda and Alec spent the evening and next few days celebrating with their families!


If you know Alec and Marenda, it is clear that they are the perfect pair. With Alec taking Marenda on travel “field trips” that encourage her to live life to the fullest and Marenda reminding Alec the importance of slowing down to smell the roses, they push each other to be the best versions of themselves. From their intelligence to their bad dance moves to their even worse dad jokes, God proves that He knew what He was doing by bringing this couple together!