How They Met

Courtney and John met in May 2011 while taking nursing prerequisite courses. John sat immediately behind Courtney in  Anatomy and Physiology, flirted with such legendary lines as, “Hey. Nice thumbs,” (in reference to her nail polish), and bonded with her over study sessions in the library before class.

Before long, John asked Courtney out on a date to watch a movie, then go for a haunted hayride and indulge in fireside s’mores. Their relationship bloomed slowly, but they would come to recognize this date, on a cold fall night, as the formal start of their dating relationship. The date of their first date is so significant to them that they chose to also make it the day they get married, October 7th, 2017, which also shares the distinction of being their 6 year anniversary.

The Proposal

In May 2016, John and Courtney wanted to plan a series of small excursions to celebrate the end of Courtney’s first year in nursing school. Little did she know, he was planning to use this time as the perfect opportunity to propose!

On May 12th, John and Courtney ventured to Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, VA. They packed a picnic that they enjoyed alongside the winery’s offerings. Following a wine tasting, the couple took a stroll among the vines. During that walk, John planned to present Courtney with her Pandora bracelet he had gotten for their first Valentine’s Day with a new “charm” (the ring) added, and to surprise her once he had put it on her wrist. But when he took the bracelet out of his pocket the ring fell off! John knelt to the ground, found the ring, and, already kneeling, presented the ring and asked for her to be his partner in life. She said yes!