Our story began in early 2020. After talking for a little while, Zack and I both realized that we had horrible sleep schedules. Naturally, this led to us planning our first date at 1:00AM on a Wednesday where we went to Jays diner for breakfast. I was in my friend’s building at RIT prior to meeting Zack. When I walked outside and headed toward his building a short walk away, I saw a figure wearing a hat. The first thing that came out of Zack’s mouth was “wow you weren’t kidding, you are short”. 

The drive to the diner was quick and we were seated right away since it was the middle of the night. I ordered pancakes and Zack ordered french toast. Cute right?!




Wrong. The date was not good. If you know Zack, you know that he loves breakfast food, especially french toast. The entire time we were there, all he did was eat. I was trying to get to know him better and he hardly participated in conversation with me! After our date Zack sweetly asked, “Do you do hugs?” We hugged quickly in the car and parted ways. I had no intention of going on another date with him.



A few short days later Zack asked if I would do something with him on Valentine’s Day. After a not-so-good first date and not wanting the pressure of receiving flowers or chocolate for Valentines day, I politely turned him down and made plans with my same friend who I was with prior to our first date. He convinced me that maybe Zack was shy and I needed to give him another chance for a date. 


When Zack asked again for a second date, I reluctantly agreed. He came to my dorm, we did laundry together, and watched movies. We had our first kiss during the movie “Tangled”. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Zack actually would talk to me. We laughed, shared stories, and talked more seriously about life. I started to love Zack’s quirkiness and thoughtfulness. He paid attention to everything I said and he made me feel important. Zack proceeded to stay in my dorm with me for the next few days and even skipped a few of his classes (oops!). The rest is history!





Unbeknownst to Taylor, I had set the engagement plans in motion by going to purchase the ring with the future maid of honor. The engagement ring was going to take a while to come in, so I had plenty of time to plan the perfect engagement. With our 4-year anniversary coming up, I saw the perfect opportunity.
After some logistical planning with the principal, I was able to set a date and time to arrive at Munn Elementary, the school where Taylor was currently teaching. I was to arrive February 16th at around 1 pm to propose to Taylor in front of her students. The principal said he would handle everything else. Little did I know the news would spread like wildfire among the faculty until everyone was keeping the secret from Taylor for weeks.
The day had finally arrived. I had taken the day off in preparation for the engagement and our Toronto trip that weekend (the cover story). After waking up bright and early at 11:30 am, I recorded my first cute video of the day with the ring and our fish, Bubble. I trekked to Wegmans to procure the perfect bouquet of flowers. After selecting the perfect ones, yellow roses with teal ribbon wrapped in cream-colored paper, I recorded my second cute video of the day. Upon arriving at Munn, I recorded my third and final cute pre-engagement video of the day, announcing my arrival.
When I got into the school, the principal came to greet me, along with a few teachers and a camerawoman to capture the moment. We had to wait a few minutes for Taylor's class to exit the hallway and avoid spoiling the surprise, and teachers began to poke their heads out of their classrooms.
The principal herded the students onto the carpet. I heard him inform them that sometimes they get to be a part of something bigger than themselves. As I walked into the crowded room with flowers in hand, I locked eyes with Taylor, knowing she had to know now something was up.
I handed her the bouquet and wished her a happy anniversary, the perfect smokescreen. Surrounded by her students gawking at us, I pulled out the ringbox and knelt down with my old-man knees. I had prepared for what I was going to say in that moment, but it was so loud, and I was so wrapped up in the moment all I could manage was Will you marry me?


She said yes!


With some students cheering, others sobbing, and others still not knowing what had just happened, Taylor and I eeked out into the hallway to take a stroll, relish the moment, and record the fourth cute video of the day. I had finally been upgraded from Boyfriend Zack to Fiancé Zack. I even got to spend most of the rest of the day with Taylor and her class. Mission accomplished!