Our Story

Elise: Eric and I met in Des Moines while I was in my last semester at Drake and he was working at KISS FM. Our first date started at a jazz club with some nice music and cocktails and ended with pizza slices at Fongs with a couple dive bars in between. From the beginning we've had a good mix of classy and...not as classy. I remember how easy and natural it felt to be with Eric, even from our first date.

I think it would have been hard to not fall in love with Eric. He has a gift of making people feel comfortable and important, even when they've only known him a short time, and his sense of humor is unmatched. We balance each other out in so many ways, and he makes my life more fun. Along with his sense of humor, he also makes it easy to lean on him on hard days. Eric can always tell exactly how I'm feeling (it doesn't help that my face gives every emotion away), and he never fails to make me feel safe and heard when I'm sad or worried about something.

One of the first things we bonded over was our love for travel. We took our first road trip together from Des Moines to Milwaukee just a couple months into dating, and have been traveling together ever since. Some highlights include hiking in Yellowstone, rafting and seeing Moose in the Grand Tetons, and most recently exploring Portland and Canon Beach when we took our engagement photos. One of the things I love most about Eric is his sense of adventure, and I can't wait for all the ones we have ahead of us.

Eric proposed on a surprise trip to Duluth, one of our favorite places to go together. He didn't tell me anything about where we were staying or what we were doing. We went to Glensheen, one of my favorite spots, and he told me there was a pop-up event happening that day. I started to get an idea that maybe he was proposing when we were one of the only 2 cars in the parking lot for the "pop-up event". The whole proposal was perfect, and we had the best weekend in Duluth celebrating. We'll always be able to look back on one of the best days of our lives whenever we visit, and we can't wait to be married there and add that to the list of our best days in Duluth.

Eric: Elise and I met on Tinder when we lived in Des Moines. We lied and told our families we met at a bar on Court Ave. for about 3 1/2 years so it's a huge relief that we can finally live our truth.

After matching and deleting the app 7 different times, I finally messaged Elise to see if she wanted to go on a date. It must've been the picture of me doing a keg stand that really made it love at first sight. I proceeded to plan the greatest first date of all time... drinks at a jazz club called Noce, followed by several cheap beers at a bar-cade called Up-Down and rounding it out at Shorty's, my favorite dive bar in the DSM. A true balance of class and trash, much like the balance of class Elise brings to my trash.

Elise's sense of humor and spontaneity is what made me fall for her so hard. She can take it, but she dishes it even better. She's spunky to say the least. She's always up for a new adventure, whether it's going on a date to a latte art throwdown, going to a hardcore show with me, or one of our many road trips. Elise is always looking to discover something new, and I think that keeps things interesting in our relationship. In turn, she makes me get outside my comfort zone and has helped me grow as a person in all facets.

Even though she'll tell you otherwise, Elise is always so emotionally in touch with things. She was my rock towards the end of my mom's life, and continues to be there for the people in her life during their healing processes. She's such a beautiful soul and it made the decision to ask her to marry me a no-brainer.

I chose Duluth to propose for many reasons:

1. Her family has history there (her grandparents lived there, her mom went to school there, etc.)
2. One of our most memorable road trips was to the North Shore.
3. I had bought the ring 3 months before and couldn't wait anymore and Duluth is cheap in February.

I told her there was a pop-up event at Glensheen Mansion, one of her favorite places in Minnesota. Elise is a huge true crime person, so of course I had to propose at the haunted mansion on Lake Superior. I think I had her fooled until she heard me ask for general ground tickets to the mansion. Anyway, I SPRINTED down to the shoreline, she almost slipped as I got down on a knee, and the rest is history. To say I'm excited to have her as my very obvious better half is an understatement, and I can't wait to have you to celebrate with us!