We met in D.C. at a little place called Clyde Group back in 2017. After a few years as colleagues and friends, neither of us could deny how much we enjoyed being around each other, so we took the plunge and started dating in a covert office romance (and thought we were so good at keeping our newfound connection a secret - spoiler alert, we were not at all!).

Very soon into our relationship, however, we both knew that it was the real deal. We celebrated "making things official" with our first trip together to Montego Bay, Jamaica in November 2019, and just a few months later the world shut down due to COVID. During this time, we spent almost all of our time together, weathering the pandemic, getting a crash course in sharing each others' personal space 24/7, and got even closer in the end.

The past couple of years have been a whirlwind as we moved in together in Bethesda, Maryland in 2021 and went on several exciting trips around the world -- from Paris to Punta Cana, from Los Angeles to New Orleans, from the Finger Lakes in NY to the Outer Banks, and everywhere in between. We have a running list of all the best things we've eaten everywhere we've been, with about 50 different items competing for first place at any given moment.

Fast forward to May 13, 2023 when Chris convinced me that we were going to dinner in Capitol Hill, followed by a show at the Kennedy Center. Little did I know, Chris had been planning the most perfect surprise proposal, complete with a photographer to capture the moment in real time and a celebratory dinner at Little Pearl, a charming neighborhood restaurant a block away from his old Capitol Hill apartment where we first fell in love. Probably unsurprisingly, I happy cried the whole time :)

Our relationship, and finding one another when we did, is such a gift and we still can't believe we get to get married in just a few more months and celebrate with all of our favorite people in the world there to party with us!

Our Surprise Proposal