It all started with a question. “Does a straw have one hole or two?” Kaitlyn asked on Bumble, and Alex, intrigued (and probably a little confused), couldn’t help but respond. Who knew that this silly debate would lead to something much more serious?

For our first date, we skipped the standard dinner-and-movie routine and decided to try something a bit more… unique. Enter: paint spinning with airsoft guns. If you’ve never tried it, we’ll save you the trouble—it’s an absolute disaster. The art was hideous, the mess was epic, but we couldn’t stop laughing. From that moment on, we knew we were meant to be in each others lives.

Kaitlyn took the plunge first, popping the question in Long Island, under a flower-filled gazebo, with candles and a “Will You Marry Me?” sign. Alex was completely caught off guard, probably wondering if she was dreaming. But no, it was real. And after a very excited yes and asking Kaitlyn 10 times why she didn’t have Alex wear the dress she bought just for this moment, it was game on.

A few weeks later, Alex flipped the script and proposed to Kaitlyn during a romantic paint night. While Kaitlyn was lost in her own “masterpiece”, Alex wrote “Will You Marry Me Kaitlyn?” as a crossword puzzle on her easel, to represent their many nights spent on The NY Times mini. Kaitlyn, naturally, still wasn’t expecting it, and the room was filled with love and laughter.

We’ve settled into our apartment in Long Island, where we plan to keep building a lifetime of memories with our dog Lou. It’s a place full of warmth, love, Alex’s excellent cooking, and Kaitlyn’s truly terrible dad jokes (she’s working on it, we promise).

Our love story may have started with a quirky question and some messy paint, but it’s grown into something even more beautiful than we could have imagined. We can’t wait to see what our next chapter holds—because with each other, it’s bound to be another adventure.