At the end of their third year of college at OSU, Bergen and Mary Kate were introduced by their mutual friend, Kate. They first met at a socially-distanced barbecue where they barely spoke to each other. Bergen later smoothly slid into the instagram DMs, and they began planning their first date.

On their first official date, they played Mario Kart in the garage of MK’s Corvallis townhouse and cooked peanut butter and jelly pizza, MK’s signature recipe for the past two decades. You might credit this date choice to pandemic times, but to MK, this is the perfect evening.

On July 3, 2020, after spending about a month together, Bergen suggested MK visit his hometown of Columbia City with him to meet his family - his parents, sister, uncle, and Nana. Since they had not yet established that they were now officially dating, MK asked, “does this mean we are a thing?” and Bergen said yes. MK later asked for clarification as to what a “thing” meant. Panicking somewhat, Bergen responded with “It means you’re my girlfriend, idiot.” (said with love)

The beginning of their time together in 2020 was characterized by neighborhood walks, home cooking, craft nights, and Wii games in the garage. As their relationship progressed and restrictions eased, they were able to branch out into bigger things like eating at an actual sit-down restaurant, a road trip to Yosemite with Bergen’s family, and meeting each other’s extended family members - 50+ each.

Mary Kate and Bergen both graduated Oregon State together in 2021, finding jobs in the Portland Metro area shortly after. After a year in Portland, they had plans to move in together, but when Bergen’s company offered to pay for a master’s degree in Illinois, he said yes.

The next chapter of their story was the hardest: long distance. For a year and a half, they called each other every night and visited each other as often as they could. MK adopted a kitten named Opal to keep her company while Bergen was gone. In December 2023, after two very cold midwest winters, Bergen graduated and returned home to Oregon where he and MK could begin living together. The first six months were a bit cozy when Bergen moved in with MK, her friend Meghan, and two cats in their 800 square-foot apartment. They moved to another apartment for a year before buying and closing on their house in Cedar Hills on March 21, 2025.

On March 29, 2025, after almost five years together, Bergen asked MK to marry him on the beach in Lincoln City, and she said: “yes, idiot.” (said with love)