Our story began in July of 2023, when a dating app matched us at just the right time. For our very first date, we planned to grab pizza — only to find out the restaurant had temporarily stopped serving food because of the heat wave. But instead of calling it a night, we stayed for drinks and ended up talking until the place closed. That unexpected change of plans turned into the beginning of something special.

Over the next month, we spent our time going on dinner dates and nature hikes, discovering how naturally everything clicked. One summer evening, Matt planned a picnic at the local park followed by a day of hiking. Later that night at dinner, he asked Tara to officially be his girlfriend — and she happily said yes.

Soon after, we began meeting each other’s families — Tara introducing Matt at a family barbecue, and Matt introducing Tara at a Johnny’s game. As months passed, we spent holidays together and were welcomed into each other’s extended families with open arms.

In December of 2024, we took a cozy winter weekend getaway to Duluth to visit the magical Christmas lights at Bentleyville. When we returned home, Tara walked in to find Matt on one knee — and with joy in her heart, she said yes.

Our love story is just getting started, and we are so excited to celebrate our big day with the people who have supported us along the way. Thank you for being part of our journey — we can’t wait to continue writing this next chapter together.