Bryan and Becca met as young freshman at Western Illinois University in the small town of Macomb, Illinois. They both found themselves living at Thompson Hall, and it was at that very dorm that their story began. They quickly started running into one another in the cafeteria, going to and from class, and outside the dorms. Before they knew it, they were spending nearly every day together after classes and going out on the weekends. Whether it was bowling, grabbing a bite to eat, weekend parties, binge-watching television, or suffering through GenEd assignments together, they spent little time apart. Although they did not see it at first, everyone around them knew immediately that they should be together. In the beginning they denied it, not willing to risk the wonderful friendship they had formed so quickly into their college years. But, as you have probably guessed, that did not last long.

Bryan and Becca continued to see each other constantly. With what little there was to do in Macomb, they always made the best of it and found ways to have fun - as long as they were together. Then one fateful night after hours of midnight conversations led to learning nearly everything about one another, Bryan decided to finally make things official. He coaxed Becca, and some friends, to take a midnight road trip to Michigan... in the middle of January. After the group walked about a mile in the cold and snow through the woods and brush, they made it to the frozen beach. The water had frozen to ice on the sand, creating the most beautiful scene against the night sky. The stars in the darkness were infinite. Little did they know, that night was the start of the rest of their lives.

For over seven years since that night, they began to build their lives together. After countless concerts, Taco Bell dates, craft beers poured, Blackhawks games, miles of road trips, antique shops, hours of cartoon watching, two Western Illinois college graduations, two years of graduate school, four Riot Fest weekends, and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, their story comes to Christmas 2016...when Bryan finally popped the question!

What started out as what Becca thought was a simple Christmas gift ended up being so much more. Becca began to unwrap a multi-layered box full of photos of the two of them, mixed in with polaroid camera accessories - a ruse Bryan was using to keep her off the trail. As the boxes got smaller, the pictures inside got older. Then, in the last box, were photos from the very beginning - photos of a couple who didn’t know where life would be taking them. 18-year-olds eating Taco Bell and enjoying their first year of college. Underneath those photos was a Cubs shirt, but this was no ordinary Cubs shirt. Bryan had it personalized with “Wood” and the number 16 on the back to represent the year. When Becca held up the shirt, she was at first confused, but thankful. She then put down the shirt and saw Bryan on one knee, the ring in hand. After stumbling over some words, she was finally able to get out a “YES!” And of course, the rest is history, but this story is far from over.