Our Story
How We Met
Our story starts many years ago in a place not so far away. We initially met on the app Bumble in the fall of 2021. After a month or so of casual back-and-forth conversation, we decided to meet for our first date. What was planned as a quick drink at the Green Onion, turned into us talking for 4+ hours until they closed that night. In all honesty, I was stunned by her. This beautiful girl, with a gorgeous smile, had a heart of gold and the laugh that could light up a room.
- Ian
Our love story began with a swipe—modern romance at its finest. Thanks to Bumble, I made the first move, and from my first swipe, we started building a friendship that quickly blossomed into something so much more.
Our first date was meant to be a quick drink at The Green Onion after talking for about a month. But what was supposed to be a casual meet-up turned into over five hours of non-stop conversation about anything and everything. We closed the bar down at last call, completely wrapped up in each other’s words. That night, I walked away knowing he was something special—and that I couldn’t wait to learn more about him.
Since then, our journey together has been filled with laughter, adventures, and spontaneous late-night sweet treat runs. Through both the stillness and the surprises, we've grown closer with every moment—grateful every day for the love we found in each other.
Now, as we look forward to saying “forever and always,” we’re so excited to celebrate this next chapter of our lives with all of you.
So here’s to Bumble, our modern-day Love Story matchmaker—and to the Best Day of our lives ahead, surrounded by the people who mean the most.
-Kelsey
The Proposal
After graduating from dental school in the summer of 2023, I moved to Connecticut to pursue a hospital based dental residency. During this time, I began hatching a plan for a surprise proposal before moving back to Nebraska. I started my plotting in the fall of 2023 with help from her cousin, Barbara, and best friend, Selina. With their help, I masterminded a "friends photoshoot" at Lake Chalco in Omaha in the spring of 2024. Some backstory- Barbara took a couples photoshoot of Kelsey and I in the summer of 2023. At one point, Kelsey had me turn around, close my eyes, and then surprised me with a cold, refreshing Smirnoff Ice. I wanted Kelsey to let her guard down and think she was getting "iced" before turning around and seeing me holding the ring. The morning of the proposal, Kelsey had thought I was still busy saving lives and teeth in Connecticut. What she didn't know was that I had spent the better part of my day fighting Southwest Airlines and overpriced airport food in order to get to my proposal on time. Watching from the treeline beside the lake, I waited patiently until Kelsey turned around and closed her eyes. I quietly walked down, got on one knee, and asked the love of my life, "Will you marry me?"
- Ian
Before Ian left for his dental residency in Connecticut, we began to have meaningful conversations about our future and what we envisioned for our lives together. As Ian’s residency progressed, it became even more clear just how deeply we valued and needed each other in each other lives.
These conversations marked the beginning of a truly special new chapter for me: ring shopping. After countless visits to different stores and a growing Notes app filled with things I loved (and didn’t), I came to a realization—I wanted to be surprised. More than anything, I wanted the ring to feel like us—a reflection of his love, care, and all the little details that make our relationship so special. So, in the end, we decided that I would choose the center stone, and Ian would take it from there—bringing his love and creativity to the design and making it uniquely ours.
On the day of the proposal, I thought I was preparing for a best friend photoshoot with Selina. Ian had mentioned he needed to pick up his pager for an overnight shift, but little did I know, that was just his cover story to explain the moments of silence when he was actually on the plane.
Barbara, who had previously taken photos for Ian and me, was our photographer that day. During one of our earlier photo sessions with her, I had once surprised Ian by asking him to turn around and close his eyes, only to hand him a Smirnoff Ice to finish— a playful tradition that sparked Ian’s idea on how he would propose a year later.
Fast forward to Memorial Day, Barbara asked Selina and me to turn away from each other and close our eyes. For a brief moment, I thought, “Did Ian tell Selina about our ‘icing photoshoot’?” But when I turned around, I was overwhelmed with joy and surprise to see Ian down on one knee, asking, “Kelsey, will you marry me?”
-Kelsey