First Met
A mutual friend introduced Zach and Kelley to each other at a Caleb Hawley performance at Vieux Carré in St. Paul, MN. Zach bought Kelley and her friend a round of drinks and after the performance, Zach walked them to their car since they were parked in a place that wasn't very well lit. Kelley messaged Zach on Facebook the next day and thanked him for the kind gesture.
First Date
Zach picked Kelley up at her house and went to Lucky's 13 (Kelley's pick because of the delicious moscato) for dinner and drinks. They ended up staying until 11:00PM, talking the entire time even over the sound of the loud bingo crowd. After Zach drove Kelley home, they talked in her driveway for a while before they hugged and said good night.
Officially Dating
Zach was down in Oklahoma with his family for Thanksgiving. While on the phone with Kelley, she said that she had been calling him her boyfriend to her mom. They still joke about how Kelley told Zach that he was her boyfriend (to be fair, it had been discussed before Zach left town so it wasn't completely out of the blue!).
First Love You
After Zach came back from a weekend spent at his parents' house, Kelley met him at his apartment to spend some time together before the week started. They were having a good conversation when Zach said, "I love you" to Kelley and Kelley said "I love you, too."
First Dance
Their first dance was in Zach's living room to Kelley's favorite song, "Faithfully" by Journey. When the song coincidentally came on Pandora Radio, Zach took Kelley's hand and asked her to dance. She of course said yes!
First Big Test
Even though Zach had already totally captured Kelley's heart, he had one more important person to meet and win over...Kelley's son, Aidan. Kelley and Aidan arrived at SeaLife at the Mall of America where Zach was waiting for them with a toy monster truck for Aidan. The guys bonded over their love of gross, slimy creatures and even though Kelley didn't tell Zach that day, that was when she knew he was who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
First Valentine's Day
Zach bought Kelley flowers and hand delivered them to her work on the Friday before Valentine's Day. Then, on Valentine's Day, they enjoyed a meal together at Axel's Steakhouse in Chanhassen, MN. After eating, they exchanged cards and Zach gave Kelley a giant-sized Reese's peanut butter heart.
First Overnight Trip
Kelley completely orchestrated an entire weekend getaway for Zach's 30th birthday without his knowledge. She booked their stay at South Pier Inn, got Zach's vacation days approved by contacting his supervisor and boss, and even had his parents in on the plan. She showed up at his work to "bring him a gift" and kidnapped him from there. He was completely surprised!
We Bought a House!
Zach and Kelley had started looking in April of 2017 for a house to buy. After going to look at MANY houses, they found their dream home in June of 2017. After a few stressful days of back and forth with the VA bank who owned the home and a frustrating closing process, the house became officially theirs on July 25th!
The Biggest Surprise Ever!
Zach told Kelley he had won a photo shoot package as a contest prize at work so on the evening of August 30th, Zach and Kelley headed to River Bend Nature Center in Faribault, MN to meet with photographer Nicki Joachim. After taking a variety of couples' photos, Nicki told Kelley she wanted to "try something crazy" and had Kelley turn away from Zach and pretend to be a damsel in distress because Nicki wanted to practice her creative skills and was going to later photoshop some sort of monster into the picture. This was not actually true, Zach and Nicki just needed Kelley to be turned around while Zach got the ring ready (he had it hidden in a towel that he told Kelley he brought in case they needed to sit on anything that was wet!). When Nicki told Kelley to turn back around, Zach was down on one knee with the ring out and Kelley's jaw just about hit the ground!
Married!
Zach and Kelley tied the knot on Saturday, September 15th, 2018. They couldn't be more happy or confident in their decision!
Honeymoon!
Before getting married, Zach and Kelley decided that they wanted to take their honeymoon during the winter months rather than immediately following their wedding. Working with Ascent Travel Design, they chose to go to the Breathless Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa in Mexico. They had an amazing time! Look for the photo gallery which should be coming soon!