James and Taylor met at the University of Mary in January of 2021. They spent the next year at UMary hanging out on the weekends with all their friends and skiing at Huff Hills. James then graduated in April of 2022 and moved home to Wisconsin.

When he came back to visit North Dakota that July for their friends' wedding, James and Taylor began talking. James asked to take her out to dinner when she would be in Wisconsin that August for another wedding. After that weekend, they began dating.

James then moved back to Bismarck September of 2022.

They dated until Taylor graduated from UMary in April of 2024.

On May 28, 2024, James asked Taylor to marry him.