Blaine and I met when we were kids. He was my really good friend Emily’s little brother. Blaine also was good friends with my little brother Mason. They spent lots of time together swimming on swim team, playing nerf guns and having sleepovers. If you told 12 year old Mikayla that I would grow up and get married to the “Gibs” I would have laughed at you! As kids, we use to joke and call Blaine “Gibby”. If you know who Gibby is from I-Carly, you’ll understand where the nickname came from. I always remember thinking, that kid is such a goofball!!


Fast forward to the Summer of 2016. Blaine and I spent the entire summer together coaching swim team, lifeguarding together and watching Pretty Little Liars. We spent a lot of time by the pool, getting to know one another and in deep conversations. I would tell Blaine about my boy drama and Blaine would ask me advice about girls. Once the summer ended, I went back to college and Blaine would occasionally send me care packages when I was in school. I remember thinking at the time “awwww how sweet!” If you told me in 2016 I would be marrying Blaine Dart I would still laugh at you!!


In 2018, I was surprisingly swept off my feet by a surprise confession made by Blaine. Reminiscing on this moment makes me smile so big because who knows where we would be today if it weren’t for this moment. Our love story is my favorite and I feel blessed I get to spend the rest of my life with Blaine. Blaine is patient, wise and my constant voice of reason. I truly feel blessed to be loved by him. We have come so far from the beginning; from going to college together in Chico, moving in together, getting two beautiful dogs together and settling down in our careers. I love the life we have built together, and I can’t wait to continue to see our story unfold.

Mikayla was always someone I adored growing up, she was my sisters gorgeous friend. I never would've thought when I was younger that I'd be marrying her. I was always seen as Emily's goofy little brother. I gained the nickname "Gibby" when I was 8 years old. I can't remember who gave me the nickname, but let's assume it was my sister or one of her friends. I guess as a kid I resembled him but I also tried to deny it.

Going forward in life I would always see Mikayla and constantly think that she was the kindest, sweetest person I knew. Where things changed for us was the summer of 2016 when Mikayla lived at our house for the summer. Mikayla was home from college and I was done with my sophomore year of high school. That summer we did everything together including coaching swim team, going on our boat, and going to a Twenty One Pilot concert. I knew I had feelings for her, but I was 16 and she was 20, so I knew it couldn't happen for us. After that summer, I told my best friend Hunter that Mikayla was the one for me. But I knew there was no way I would have the courage to shoot my shot with her.

Eventually early in the year of 2018, I was finally 18 years old and a legal adult. Mikayla is a rule follower so I knew if I told her how I felt as minor, she would most definitely shoot me down. So at 18 years old, I decided to shoot my shot with her and by my surprise, she agreed to our first date at Lodi Brewery. I felt like the luckiest guy that day and have felt that way ever since. Luckily here we are today with our 2 amazing dogs, living in our own house, about to get married and I'm still obsessed with her everyday. We've been through a lot together leading up to us getting married but I know we are a strong and capable couple who can thrive in this world.

I worked hard to make the engagement memorable and special for Mikayla. I came up with the idea to propose at Hendry's Dog Beach in Santa Barbara. If you know Mikayla well, you know how much she loves dogs. It seemed fitting to propose at a dog beach, with her favorite dog Hallie! We didn't have Millie yet.

The plan was put into motion with the help of two of her closest college friends, Kailey and Gianna. The three of us figured out the plans and how we were going to keep it from Mikayla. Mikayla thought it was a weekend for catching up with her friends, while the three of had other plans of why we were really there.

The weekend started with the four of us going to see Blue October and The Goo Goo Dolls in concert and going out for too many drinks afterwards. The second day was the proposal day! As a group, the four of us loaded up into the car at sunset and drove to Hendry's Dog Beach. When we got to the beach we found a good spot to hangout and let Hallie run around. Gianna asked Mikayla to take a selfie photo with her, while I grabbed Hallie and put on the special bandana that said "Will You Marry My Dad?" It didn't take Mikayla long to notice the new bright white bandana on Hallie. As Mikayla went to look at Hallie's bandana, I got on one knee and asked Mikayla if she would marry me. Mikayla had the biggest smile on her face and of course, she said yes!