Once upon a time—wait, scratch that—this is not a tale as old as time.

It was May 2022, and Rachel had just graduated from grad school. Fresh off her degree and a solid amount of existential pondering, she decided to “practice” dating again as part of her self-growth journey. (Apparently, one massive life change wasn’t enough?) A few weeks later, she matched with a guy on Hinge who caught her attention with his sweet smile and curly hair and beard.

Jonathan, meanwhile, had been on Hinge for a while, meeting people but not quite finding the right fit. Rachel caught his eye with her smile and a picture of her in a box wearing a ridiculous hat. It was weird, quirky, and absolutely intriguing.

They decided to meet up fairly quickly (don’t worry, Mom and Dad—it was a public place!) at Rain Thai in Chattanooga. To this day, neither of them remembers much about the date, other than Rachel nervously asking the same questions multiple times and Jonathan trying his best to reassure her while secretly thinking, “I’m absolutely crushing this.”

As they spent more time together, they discovered they had a lot in common—like their love for the outdoors, their dogs, great food, and a shared zest for tomfoolery. They also quickly realized they balanced each other out. Jonathan was calm under pressure, while Rachel felt all the feelings, all the time. Jonathan’s cooking skills made up for Rachel’s strong disinterest in cooking (a win-win!).

Rachel was the first to say, “I love you” after returning from a summer camp where she worked with kids who rarely heard those words. She wanted JOnathan to know just how much he meant to her. True to his thoughtful nature, Jonathan waited a few months to say it back, but when he did, it meant all the more to her.

Fast-forward two years of dating, and they finally decided they were ready to face their fears of the future and commit to forever. They both enjoyed researching and designing the ring together—though Rachel struggled with the one thing she couldn’t control: when Jonathan was going to propose. (Spoiler alert: it drove her nuts.)

In October 2024, they took a trip to Florida, with some of each of their families, which seemed like the perfect setup for a proposal—except for one minor hiccup. Hurricane Milton had just rolled through, leaving their Airbnb without power and on “emergency water usage only.” Jonathan briefly debated postponing, but thankfully, their host saved the day by moving them to a better house down the road that at least had power.

One evening, Jonathan’s mom and sister “casually” announced they were heading to the beach to take golden hour photos. Ten minutes later, Jonathan strolled into the room and asked Rachel to come play with Lucy (his dog) on the beach. Rachel, who was happily playing with her niece at the time, wasn’t sold on the idea but reluctantly agreed.

On the beach, Jonathan pretended to search for seashells, while Rachel enthusiastically joined in— being her usual goofy self. At one point, Jonathan pointed out a shell that Rachel thought looked eerily similar to one she’d found the day before. Confused but intrigued, she picked it up. She was so distracted that Jonathan had to say, “What’s that?” before she finally noticed the ring underneath it.

Her first reaction? She froze and blurted out, “What the f***?!”. Jonathan, unfazed, charmed her with a series of shamelessly bad beach puns before asking if she’d marry him. Between all the hugs and laughter, Rachel somehow managed to say, “Mhm,” which Jonathan (correctly) interpreted as a yes.

Meanwhile, his mom was recording the whole thing, his sister was snapping photos, and their families were cheering from the porch. It was a moment full of love, laughter, and just the right amount of chaos-perfectly fitting for them.

And, as they say, the rest is history.