Let's just say... we have chemistry. But seriously, we met in organic chemistry lecture back in the fall of 2012 at Grand Valley State University. While Tyler was all googly-eyed over Kayla, she didn't know his name until November. But that soon changed, as she was intrigued by the kindness that this guy showed towards her.

Flirting in the lab, led to him walking her to class, which eventually led Kayla to give Tyler her phone number in late February 2013, right before she left for spring break in Florida with the softball team. No distance could ever separate these two, as that week of flirting via texts and calls gave way to an endless love. Upon her return on March 10 2013, Tyler burst through her apartment door to meet the lips he was going to kiss for the rest of his life.

On March 11, they went out on their first date to San Chez Bistro in Grand Rapids, MI, and this place will always have a special place in their hearts. That week of bliss ended on March 16, 2013 with Tyler asking Kayla to be his girlfriend officially.

Fast forward to two degrees from Grand Valley, a cat named Moose, 4 apartments later, and a whole lot of love, we get to 2017. Kayla earned her Masters in Anthropology at Wayne State University that spring, while Tyler continued his Masters degree in Chemistry at Eastern Michigan University. Like stated earlier, distance never separates these two, so in the fall, Kayla started her PhD program in Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. Visits every weekend were the fuel to keep both of them going throughout their studies. Until Tyler decided he wanted a relaxing weekend for his birthday up in Grand Rapids. That weekend was October 28, 2017.

Driving up to Grand Rapids, Tyler and Kayla talked about this and that and sang to the countless love songs on the radio. Unbeknownst to her, Tyler had the ring in his pocket the whole time. Yet, Kayla has a knack for figuring out surprises...

For the last two weeks leading up to the proposal, Kayla had been, let's just say, teasing Tyler about becoming engaged. Reverse psychology was her go-to questioning scheme, as she would counter with "I know you're hiding a ring, but you think I know you're hiding a ring, which means you don't have a ring, but you really do." Yea, they were both confused too, but it seemed to work in Kayla's favor.

So, anyways, back to that rainy Saturday in late October. Tyler and Kayla pulled up and parked in their go-to spot on the Allendale Campus of Grand Valley State University, and walked towards Padnos Hall of Science to reminisce. Since it was GV's homecoming, they stopped for the marching band to pass them and made their way to the doors. But before they could enter, Tyler stopped Kayla and exclaimed, "My birthday isn't the real reason for us to be here today."

He continued, "Kayla Jean, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He got down on one knee, and asked, "Will you marry me?" She said, "of course!"

Being the romantic that he is, Tyler asked a friend to photograph the moment, and Sarah came out to congratulate the newly engaged couple and to do a quick photoshoot around campus. After that, the couple celebrated at, you guessed it, San Chez Bistro.

That leads us to today. Kayla and Tyler are busy planning the wedding, studying away for their respected degrees, and helping out with a dear friend's wedding as well. Stay tuned for more of their love adventure as they will be saying "I Do" in the Grand Teton National Park on June 8, 2019.

Registry