In May 2018, Ali was visiting her best friend in Kansas City. Walking into Vance's house for the first time over Memorial Day weekend, she thought she was just going to a party; little did either of them expect to meet and hit it off instantly. After a weekend of banter, both could tell there was genuine interest in getting to know each other, especially after Ali made the offhand comment about wanting to "go to Vegas just to eat" -- anyone who knows the Beiser family knows how much they love Vegas, and dinners out on the town!

A few weeks of long distance phone calls and Facetimes later, Vance invited Ali to their first official date -- a wedding in Waco, Texas. Nothing screams romance in the early stages of a relationship like sweating in the Texas summer heat! But clearly things went well, and they started officially dating that weekend.

The rest of the year was filled with visits between Kansas City and Chicago, numerous vacations, trips up to Minnesota to meet Ali's family (once Ali figured out the right airport), and spending family holidays together. One year exactly from the day they met, Ali packed up her cat Sophie and her apartment in Chicago and drove along with Vance to the south suburbs of KC to officially move in together!

In the 5+ years they have been dating, they've been lucky to be able to enjoy an abundance of travels and new experiences together. Most of Ali and Vance's friends and family joke that they don't stay in one place for too long, no one knows where they will pop up next, or where their next plane will be headed. They love to travel to new places, and revisit beloved ones they've made memories in.

Fittingly, Vance proposed to Ali on 2/11/23 during a whirlwind weekend visiting Chicago, the city they first fell in love in. He arranged to have their closest family members present, creating a beautiful memory they'll all cherish!

In the spirit of travel and adventures, and sharing experiences with loved ones -- let's all celebrate in Clearwater, Florida!