02

Flash forward two and a half years, and we had been through a lot of life changes together. We had both graduated college and both got our first adult jobs. Braden’s favorite dog from his time working for the dog trainer was having her last litter of puppies, and Braden decided to give Erin what she always wanted and the thing that sparked the conversation that started our relationship, a puppy! We went out to see the puppies every weekend in order to pick the one that was perfect for us. We brought home a tiny Maddy in December of 2017 and she could not have been a better addition to start our little family!

03

Braden and Erin had talked a lot about getting married at this point and in January of 2018, Braden decided to go pick out the perfect ring. He would soon realize that buying a ring is not an immediate process and he didn’t end up acquiring said ring until May. At this point, we had been talking about getting engaged for so long that Erin was starting to get antsy, especially because she had been accepted to medical school that would soon be starting and didn’t know how feasible it was to plan a wedding while in school. Braden also didn’t want a long engagement which meant we really only had Erin’s first summer break to get married. Braden was trying to buy time while he was waiting for the ring to come in (and he claims throw Erin off), so he suggested they go look at rings one day after Erin got home from work. So, she got home from work that day and said she was ready to go to the jewelry store when Braden pulled out a ring and said, “Well, how about you try on this one first?” 

Part 1

04

He proceeded to get down on one knee and ask Erin to spend the rest of her life with him. After a solid 3 minutes of shock and staring at him with her mouth wide open, Erin finally said yes! He definitely had the element of surprise as Erin had absolutely no idea this was going to happen, and Braden is the worst at keeping secrets (so naturally that’s why he proposed two hours after picking up the ring). The day was made even more special because he proposed on Erin’s late grandparent’s anniversary who are very near and dear to her heart and who have always shown her what true love looks like. We proceeded to spend the night celebrating with our friends and family who were all just as excited as we were. 

Part 2

05

We currently live in Des Moines, IA where Erin is in medical school. In our free time, we love spoiling our crazy dog, watching Parks and Rec for the millionth time, creating arguments with board games (we aren’t competitive :), and spending time with our friends and family. We cannot wait for this next step in our lives and are so excited for you to share in it with us!