The Beginning...

Rachel and Tommy met in the fall of 2022 when Rachel took a position in customer service at the Scheels corporate office. They sat next to each other at work, and quickly turned into each other's favorite part about coming to work everyday. They spent time outside of work getting to know each other during the summer of 2023; these activities included concerts, summer rec volleyball, and evening walks in the park. After much prayer and discussion, Rachel and Tommy officially started dating in December of 2023. Their first year together involved more concerts, a lot of time on the golf course, and many Chic-Fil-A lunch dates. Around the time of their dating anniversary, they started having discussions about a timeline for marriage. In February of 2025, during a trip to visit Rachel's parents in Georgia the blessing for the marriage was acquired!

The Proposal...

In February of 2025, Rachel and Tommy went ring shopping together to determine sizes and preferences. Later that week, Tommy let Rachel know that a ring had been selected and ordered! About one month after the ring shopping excursions, Tommy got an update from the ring store that it still had not shipped and would be delayed even more. To "make up for the delay of ring arrival", he took Rachel to a fancy dinner. After dinner, he suggested they go to Rachel's favorite plant store. Rachel agreed to that plan, as she needed more moss posts for her potted plants. Upon arrival, Tommy further expressed his disappointment by stating "I sure wish I had a ring to give you tonight" to which Rachel assured him that she was content to wait.

They walked into the plant store, where (with great difficulty, because Rachel was not wearing her glasses) she noticed rose petals on the ground and wondered why a plant shop would choose to leave rose petals on the ground for decoration. Then, Rachel looked up and realized that around her were tea lights and framed photos of her and Tommy together. As the realization dawned on her, Rachel turned around to see the boy of her dreams holding the ring of her dreams! You can guess what happened next — she said yes!