How did you meet?

Payton and Nathan met on March 24th, 2018 at a charity event at Purdue University. Payton was drawn to Nathan and walked over as soon as she saw him to strike up a conversation. Nathan was selling tattoos, and Payton said “I’d only buy a tattoo if I could put it on you”. Payton (being Payton) put the girliest tattoo that she could find on Nathan’s arm, and Nathan (being Nathan) tried to show off his arm muscles. As Payton was walking away, she told her friend “He’s going to be my boyfriend one day”. Little did she know at the time that he would be her husband 5 years later!

When did Nathan propose?

Nathan proposed to Payton at her family’s lakehouse in June 2022 with the sunset over the lake and fireworks going off in the background. It was a beautiful moment, getting to share it with a lot of their friends and family who were in town that weekend.

Where are you two going for your honeymoon?

The question should be, where aren’t we going?! We actually have two trips planned! The day after our wedding, we’ll fly to Italy to spend a week in Rome and the Amalfi Coast. 1 month later, we’ll go to a small island in the Southern Caribbean called Grenada to experience our first Sandals resort.

What’s your favorite activity together?

We absolutely love cooking together - it really has brought us closer over the last few years. Nathan had never cooked for himself prior to college, and over the past 5 years, Payton has helped develop him into a great cook (that doesn’t cook hamburgers with the plastic on anymore)!

What is your favorite memory together?

Payton and Nathan’s favorite memory is during March Madness of Payton’s birthday weekend in 2019 to watch Purdue play in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8. They drove to Louisville, KY, and only had tickets to the Sweet Sixteen game. But, when Purdue won that game, they frantically ran around the streets trying to find tickets from angry Tennessee fans to the next Elite 8 game - they eventually got a great deal!

What was the impact of COVID-19 on your relationship?

Nathan and Payton had their fair share of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but ultimately this experience brought them and their families closer together. They lived together in Ludington for 5 months, where Nathan was able to get much closer to Payton’s family. Nathan’s family also traveled to Ludington from Wisconsin to spend time together. They learned that staying active together was the foundation of our relationship, alongside cooking delicious meals together. And most importantly, they got their cat (Prim) together during this time, and Payton officially converted Nathan into a proud “cat dad”.

What have the last couple of years been like for you as a couple?

Nathan and Payton have gone through a lot in the past few years, but it’s only made them stronger. For the past 2 years, Payton and Nathan have been doing their relationship long-distance. Nathan moved to Charlotte, NC for his first Sales role at Procter & Gamble in April 2021 while Payton was finishing her coursework at Purdue. In June of 2022, Nathan moved to Cincinnati, OH for his second role at P&G, and Payton began her Internship / Master’s in Dietetics program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR. During this time, they’ve learned to never forget about their weekly date nights (virtual or in-person) and to have weekend getaways together when they can. They have also learned to maximize their time together when they don’t have much of it. They say that it’s easy to have a great relationship when life is easy but to grow a relationship during challenging times is much more difficult. Payton and Nathan believe what they’ve gone through speaks volumes about how strong their connection is.

What does your future look like?

Payton and Nathan have a habit of looking years ahead in their lives and planning things out in detail. However, they recognize there are a lot of unknowns in their futures. Nathan is in a career that is very mobile, so they may move 3-4 times in the next 10 years. They want to start a family and be young parents, and buy their first home together within the next year.