We're Engaged!!

We’re engaged!! I'm so excited to share the details of my engagement to Will.

How We Met

Will and I met 3 years ago on Hinge. We were both living in Florida at the time, coincidentally just 10 blocks apart from one another. I know the apps aren’t for everyone, but it’s crazy to think that we likely crossed paths several times on our day-to-day in St. Pete based on our proximity, but we probably never would have connected if we both weren’t willing to put ourselves out there on a dating app! I showed up to our first date wearing a blue and white striped dress only to find Will was wearing blue and white gingham - the first thing I said to him was, “I’m glad you got the blue and white memo!” We still laugh about this today (and the fact that he was unknowingly very on brand with MJD!). Our early dates were so much fun - we went mini golfing, planned beach bar crawls, and cheered for the Tampa Bay Lightning, our local hockey team who were making a strong run in Stanley Cup Playoffs that year. I felt very comfortable and myself around him as we continued to get to know one another - something I hadn’t felt on other dates.

How I Knew

It was always important to me to find a man with good manners and someone who made me feel cared for. Right off the bat, I could tell this was innate to Will. He was the first guy to offer to walk me home after a date to make sure I got home safe, and insisted on meeting my parents only 2 months into dating because we were attending a wedding in Colombia and he wanted them to know who I’d be leaving the country with. What really solidified in my mind that Will was the one was how he sprang into action when Captain, my goldendoodle, got sick. I had to rush him to the Pet ER on a Saturday night and Will not only offered to drive, but spent 8 hours in the waiting room with me while we waited for news from the vet. Even though it was early in our relationship, I could see the way he cared about Captain because he knew how important he was to me, and in that moment I knew I was serious about Will.

When Will got a job opportunity up North, I had a tough decision to make but I wasn’t ready to leave my life in Florida behind. We had so much exciting momentum with MJD’s new studio and growing team, I knew I needed to see through the plans I’d put in motion at home. So we tackled long distance dating one day at a time! We booked fun trips and both celebrated exciting professional milestones, but there were definitely days when calendars just didn’t seem to line up and the weeks of not seeing each other seemed to stretch on forever.

How He Proposed

In April, Will came down to Florida for a week-long visit which was rare for him! I was so excited about the extended time together. On Saturday, about halfway through his trip, he was out the door to play tennis in the morning and casually mentioned we should grab dinner at a spot downtown that offered outdoor seating. Since we had a reservation outside, he suggested we bring Captain along. At this point- I started to get an inkling a proposal might be coming. I’d offhandedly mentioned over the years that my only criteria for getting engaged was that I wanted Captain to be part of the proposal. As I was getting ready, I was definitely excited but tried not to get too in my head because I had gotten my hopes up in the past.

We headed out a few minutes early, Captain in tow, to grab a drink before dinner. Will had been talking about this “pop up Tiki Bar” he’d heard about and used that as a way to get us down to the water. As we walked along the water, I suddenly realized there was no such pop up Tiki Bar and next thing I knew Will was down on one knee proposing. It was such a surreal moment and while I definitely experienced the overwhelming flood of emotions, my most prevailing emotion was a sense of calm. The whole engagement felt so relaxed and so us. After putting the ring on my finger, Will pulled out a new collar to "propose" to Captain too! In a nod to our very first date, Will wore the blue and white gingham shirt he was wearing the first day we met. To continue the celebration, Will had invited my dad and step-mom to town who surprised me at dinner.

I’ve been on Cloud 9 all month and can’t wait to share more wedding details with the MJD community in the months leading up to the big day! We’re starting the search for a venue and discussing my plans to relocate up north. And of course, I’ve already been thinking about wedding inspired canvases…our first is launching later within a few weeks!