In a world post-Covid, meeting new people and dating was hard. So Riley Fitchner and Kimberly Shaw each found themselves ignoring their parent's advice, and were meeting strangers online. And thank goodness they did! They met on Facebook's dating platform in October 2021.

Kimberly was looking for a new friend and was hopeful that it could foster into more, and Riley was looking for a girlfriend he could bring home to his mother. After a few weeks of messaging, they met for the first time at Meatheads BBQ & Taphouse, in Lake Stevens, WA.

They got along "Like a house on fire" is how they put it. They officially started dating November 19th, 2021. Their connection and love grew fast, and each day they spent together was even better than the last. Before long, they were inseparable.

Over the next year, they each got new jobs, bad hair cuts, and adopted a fluffy 3 legged cat, Milo, to join Kimberly's cat, Oso.

By October 2022, the couple and their fur babies found an apartment in Smokey Point, WA and moved in together. Unbeknownst to Kimberly, Riley had bought her engagement ring, he was already sure that she was his bride.

It was there, in their first apartment, that Riley proposed and Kimberly, of course, she said yes!

The couple decided on a long engagement so that they could focus on settling down together while they planned their wedding.

Their excitement and anticipation to be married is growing just as fast as their connection first did. As months go by, turning into weeks and days, they are extremely thankful to their friends and family for their immense support and help from the very beginning.

September 14th, 2024

HERE WE COME!

The Receiption