David and Melissa randomly met while hiking the Royal Arch Trail in Boulder. Melissa was on a short trip to explore Colorado and determine where she wanted to apply to PA schools. David was just out for a hike with his late dog, Duke. They tell a slightly different story from here…

Melissa recalls seeing Duke first, and if you know her even a little, you know she loves dogs, especially pit bulls. She usually notices dogs first and hardly acknowledges their owners, but this time she quickly realized how handsome Duke’s dad was. David, on the other hand, remembers seeing Melissa looking at a map, noticed how pretty she was, and decided to ask if she needed any help finding the trail. Regardless of which is true, she certainly engaged with Duke first.

They hiked down together, exchanging information before going their separate ways. The next day, David reached out to wish Melissa well on her trip home. Melissa took this as an opportunity to ask what David’s plans were that day, and they ended up exploring Denver together with friends. They shared stories of their past and future travels and got to know each other better over a couple drinks and delicious food at Williams and Graham. This is now one of their favorite date night spots.

They kept in touch over the years and began dating as Melissa finished PA school. David “convinced” her to move to Colorado shortly thereafter. Fast forward a couple years when Melissa and David went on a dream adventure to Bali, Indonesia. It was made even more perfect when David surprised Melissa by proposing with a stunning backdrop at Lahangan Sweet.

Now, they get to celebrate the beginning of their next adventure with their closest loved ones!