Mikaela and Justin met at a bar, Park Bench, on June 24, 2017. Neither one of them anticipated going out that night but as fate should have it, they both did. Mikaela saw Justin walk into the bar on crutches and made the first move thanks to her friend Franny. After introductions, Justin asked Mikaela, "Do you know how to swing dance?" And the rest is history.

Mikaela and Justin continued to date as Mikaela finished school at Emory University. Justin just purchased his first home and started advancing in his job. Justin got dragged into many date parties with Mikaela's sorority and Mikaela attended her first EVER football game. They survived long distance during Mikaela's first year of PA school and then returned to Atlanta, where they currently live together. They went on many fun trips together around the US and the world: St. Pete Beach, the Smoky Mountains, Salt Lake City, Lake Tahoe, Costa Rica, and to top it off, South Africa.

Justin accidentally let it slip several years ago that he would propose in South Africa, so Mikaela knew it was coming during their trip last January. The proposal happened on a sunrise hike in Cape Town on a mountain named Lion's Head. They woke up at 3:30 AM for this hike and were joined by their friends Stuart and Laura. Once at the peak of the mountain, Justin turned to Mikaela and said, "Are you ready for this?" He got down on one knee and asked Mikaela to marry him, and of course, she said "YES"