When God’s hand is on your relationship, there is no amount of time or distance that can stop two people from coming together. And our story is evidence of just that.

For years, Sophie and Tanner unknowingly lived in the same 3 states, moving just months before the other arrived. Their paths finally crossed in McLean, Virginia, when Sophie relocated from Southern California to Northern Virginia to help her grandmother as her full-time caregiver. Meanwhile, Tanner, who recently moved back to Ashburn, was working as a project manager for a deck and landscape company that required him to travel all over the NOVA area.

Sophie and Tanner had such busy schedules that they started using an online dating app. So it was fate when Tanner got assigned a project just 1 mile down the street from Sophie! They saw each other’s profiles and matched immediately.

After six months of Tanner asking Sophie out (her favorite suggestion being grabbing ice cream and playing frisbee in the park), they finally went out on their first date to Young Adults Night at their local church. They sat next to each other and awkwardly kept smiling at each other and looking away, still in disbelief they were finally meeting in person.

As they were saying goodbye, Tanner asked if they could take a selfie together. Sophie said yes, giddy with the thought that he wanted to remember their first date. Little did she know, Tanner was only taking that photo to send to his parents to prove that she was not a robot messing with him online!

They never left each other’s side from then on. They went line dancing and skydiving. They played glow-in-the-dark badminton and made their own slip-in-slide in the backyard. Even having sunset picnics on the roof! They became best friends and fell madly in love. They knew in their hearts that this was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, and they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

On Christmas Eve, Sophie’s favorite day of the year, Tanner arranged for them to go ice skating at Reston Town Center. They were greeted by gorgeous Christmas decorations and twinkling lights all around the outdoor ice rink. As they skated, they reminisced on some of their favorite memories together and how we truly felt about each other.

As the sunset, Tanner took Sophie’s hand and led her to a beautiful, lit-up arch resembling a big Christmas ornament. He turned to face her and began pouring out his heart. He got down on knee, and with tears in her eyes and her heart bursting with love and happiness, Sophie said yes to marrying the love of her life.

They arrived back home to a house full of family,anxiously waiting for the newly-engaged couple! They cried, laughed, and celebrated all night! It was some kind of beautiful as their families came together as one.

Sophie and Tanner knew they had something truly special since the moment they met, and that “something” has grown into a love greater than they ever could have imagined.

So here’s to our love... forever and always.