Like so many people today, Ed and Olivia met through the popular dating app Hinge.


They like to joke that Griffin is the one who brought them together. In many ways, this is true! Everyone who knows them, knows just how much they love dogs. When Ed came across Olivia’s profile he was immediately intrigued.


“That’s a gorgeous dog! What’s his/her name, and what do I need to do in order to meet them?”


To which Olivia replied, “His name is Griffin 😊 and to get to meet him, you must first entertain me with riveting conversation!” Needless to say, he's succeeded!


After texting for a few days, Ed asked Olivia out for their first date to Main Line Brewery. There was an immediate connection! They both felt as though they’d known each other for a long time. Griffin was unable to meet Ed that day on account of the rain, but Ed wanted to make sure Griffin was included on the second date. Ed suggested taking Griffin on a hike around the Dutch Gap Conservation, followed by a picnic. They had a wonderful day watching Griffin trot around the trail, sniff every tree in sight, and swim in the lagoon. When they got back to the car, Ed opened a cooler and assembled a full charcuterie display with an assortment of various cheeses, fruits, crackers, olives, spreads, bread, wine, etc. Olivia was impressed!

After dating for a little over a month, Ed knew he wanted to make things official. He just wasn't quite sure how.

After returning from a local wine festival, Ed finally plucked up the courage. “I’ve got a question for you. If I were to introduce you to people, what would you like for me to call you?”

“Olivia!” she answered, coyly.

“You know what I meant,” Ed laughed.

“You can call me whatever you want,” Olivia replied.

“Can I call you my girlfriend?” Ed asked sheepishly.

“Yes,” said Olivia, smiling, “you can.”

Ed couldn’t stop grinning the rest of the day!

Ed and Olivia enjoy all things in and around Richmond. Between the festivals, concerts, food scene, museums, and gardens, there is never a dull moment. What they enjoy most though, is attending games for their local sports teams!

Since the early spring of 2024, Ed and Olivia began planning a watch party for their local baseball team, the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Squirrels hold a special place in their hearts. They’ve always enjoyed going to the games, and when they introduced their parents, they took them to The Diamond to see the Squirrels play! When Ed and Olivia initially selected July 13th, that date didn’t hold any significance. Little did they know, it would soon become the most important day of their lives so far!

After securing Dr. & Mrs. Deputy’s blessing to ask Olivia to marry him, Ed started thinking about proposal ideas. By the end of June, he started putting things into motion. He purchased the ring and put together a plan. He was going to use The Squirrels game that he and Olivia had been planning as a dry run and propose the following month for Griffin’s birthday party. That plan didn’t last long!

When the ring was delivered on July 8th, Ed took one look at it and said to himself, “There is no way I can wait that long!” A new plan was forged. He decided to propose that same weekend at the Squirrels party!

For Ed, the plan was simple. Overwhelm Olivia with happiness! With the help of Ed’s two sisters and Olivia’s Matron of Honor, Annie, Ed succeeded. Ed orchestrated every detail down to the last second. At 1:00, an hour before guests were set to arrive, the plan was set into motion.

Olivia, Elizabeth, Annie, and Ed just finished getting everything ready for the party. Unbeknownst to Olivia, Ed queued up three songs to the playlist they were listening to. Each of these songs were special to their relationship, and for Ed, they served as audible queues for each stage of his plan.

The first song to play was the theme song from the Pixar movie “Up.” When the song played, Ed recalled their first Halloween together when they dressed up as Carl and Ellie from the movie (with Griffin as Doug) and how they unknowingly gave each other the exact same Christmas gift, an Adventure Book to record their memories together. After reminiscing, Ed said, “that reminds me, I’ve got a gift for Griffin!” He left the room to retrieve the gift and waited for the second song to start while Elizabeth and Annie kept Olivia distracted.

The next song to play was one of their favorite classics, Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You. Ed returned with the ring hidden in his pocket and presented Griffin’s gift to Olivia. A Flying Squirrels Dog Collar! With Ed and Olivia already wearing their Squirrels attire, it was naturally time for a family picture! While this was going on, the second phase of the plan was set into motion and Elizabeth texted Emily and let her know she had three minutes until she needed to enter the front door!

After Ed and Olivia finished taking pictures, the final song, Loving is Easy by Rex Orange County, started playing. This was Ed and Olivia’s favorite song, and the song that they’d talked about having as their first dance for over a year. When the song started playing, the front door opened, and Olivia turned to see who it was.

“Oh my gosh! Emily and Andy are here!” Olivia exclaimed.

As she turned her gaze back to Ed, he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him! Overjoyed, Olivia said, “Yes!”

Ed quipped, “We couldn’t bring Griffin to the Diamond, so I decided to bring the Diamond to Griffin!”

Olivia was floored and had no inkling that Ed was going to propose that day. What made the day even more special was that not only was the engagement a surprise for Olivia, but for the guests as well! Ed and Olivia got to share the news with people in real time and celebrate together. It was a truly memorable day, and one that they’ll treasure forever!