As all good love stories start, Abby and Zack met each other online on eHarmony, just a few days into the new year of 2018. Zack opened up with the suave line, “How did a country girl like you end up in Falls Church?” which was just good enough to get a conversation started. Initially impressed by his height and later by his down to earth vibe (and height), Abby gave him a chance and the chemistry developed immediately.

Abby and Zack both had strong feelings right away. At a Super Bowl party after a few weeks of dating, Zack professed (over text messages) his intent to marry Abby one day. They both caught “wavelengths” for each other a short time later and have been falling more in love ever since. It should’ve been obvious this was always going to be the outcome after Abby and Zack stayed up on her porch after their second date discussing religion, exes, politics, and money, and neither of them ran away on the spot.

It’s hard to find a more perfectly awkward match than Abby and Zack. Before their first date, Abby choked on water as she was walking down the stairs to leave her apartment, started crying/laughing, and had to redo her eye makeup. Long, spindly, and mildly uncoordinated, their relationship has endured countless trips, stumbles, falls, and losses for words, but it always ends in laughter.

Abby and Zack went on their “meet the family tour” in October of 2018 when they vacationed to Denver and Florida in October 2018. Abby quickly made an impression on Zack’s parents when she bonded with his mom over their love of horses in the Rocky Mountains and correctly tucked a football with solid three-point protection while being tested by his dad. Zack had previously met Abby’s older sister, younger sister, younger brother, and dad, but finally met her mom and older brother for the first time on that trip.

All their 15 months of dating finally led to the moment on April 11, 2019 when Zack proposed. In front of Roo (the dog), Mary Grace (the sister), and a bonfire in the backyard fire pit, Zack rambled on for so long about his love for Abby that he lost his audience before getting on one knee and asking Abby to marry him. She said yes in a mixture of laughter, happy tears, and disbelief. The day that both had separately thought might never come, finally arrived for both of them together.