Our Story
It began with friendship and evolved into something forever.
From hangouts to proposals with friends hiding in the trees, our journey has been anything but boring.
There are two sides to every story, so see how we both remember it…
Jordan’s Side of the Story
Alyssa was friends with one of the girls I was instructing in the color guard (Emily), and we all went to lunch at Subway one day. From there, we just kept hanging out, and over time our friendship turned into something more. And now… here we are getting married!
I can’t say there was ever an exact “aha” moment when we decided to get married. I always said I didn’t want to get married because it was just a piece of paper, but Alyssa changed my mind. Now I can’t wait to spend forever with her.
As for the proposal, I thought we were just taking Olaf for a walk at Ada Hayden with our friend and roommate, like we sometimes did. We’d almost made it all the way around the water when Alyssa asked if we could sit on a bench for a minute. She started saying all these cute, lovey-dovey things, and I was like, “Why are you talking about this now? It’s cold out here!” We got up to leave—or so I thought—but then she grabbed my hands, got down on one knee, and popped the question. I was completely surprised, but of course I said yes! Then I looked up and saw a bunch of our friends coming out of the trees with balloons and flowers. They’d all been hiding there, waiting for us to walk by. It’s still one of the happiest days of my life.
What’s our typical day? Well, our schedules are always a little crazy, but when they do line up, we’re pretty basic: we come home, have dinner, watch Below Deck or Pawn Stars, and usually hop on Fortnite with friends.
In the future, we hope to buy a house together and possibly adopt a child one day. We don’t have an exact honeymoon plan yet, but the goal is to visit Orlando and go to Universal Studios—and probably check out some historical sites along the way!
Alyssa’s Side of the Story
After I switched schools and started working at Subway in Maquoketa, I became friends with Emily from color guard (which I didn’t even know was a thing until then). Through hanging out with them, that’s how I met Jordan, and the three of us started spending time together—watching shows, getting Subway, and working at Bluff Lake. As time went on, our friendship grew into a relationship.
There wasn’t really an exact moment when we decided to get married; it just fell into place. Jordan always said she didn’t want to get married unless it was the right person, and I guess that turned out to be me.
The proposal was pure stress, but so worth it. With my first Barilla work bonus, I bought Jordan’s ring and had to hide it at Sydney’s place because I’m terrible at secrets. I planned a surprise at Ada Hayden for April 8th instead of May because it was the only weekend that worked for everyone. We marked the proposal spot with a rock “X,” gathered flowers and balloons, and despite freezing rain, it all worked out perfectly. Jordan thought we were just taking Olaf for a walk and had no clue everyone was hiding. And for once, I actually kept a secret from her!
Our schedules are usually all over the place, but when we do have a night together, we hang out with Olaf, cook dinner, watch our shows like Below Deck, and play Fortnite together.
For the future, we hope to get a house with a yard for Olaf and maybe eventually adopt a child. As for the honeymoon, we’re thinking of heading to Orlando to hit Universal Studios and check out some cool spots down there—whenever we finally plan it!
