Q. How did you guys first meet and fall in love?

I knew who Ryan was before we even officially met, though technically I met his motorcycle first! We worked for the same company, and I had noticed this amazing bike in the parking lot. But once I met Ryan, I found myself looking for his helmet in the break room, sneaking glances when I could. In my head I was being really casual, but I’m sure in retrospect it was pretty obvious that I was really interested in him.

Once we started dating, it wasn’t the sort of crazy love-at-first sight you hear about…it was more magical than that. It was a gentle, steady, “My heart feels at home next to yours.” It didn’t take long before each of us knew we’d found our person.

Q. How did you know you wanted to marry each other and who wanted to tie the knot first?

In a lot of ways, it was just a growing awareness of that we were meant for each other.

RYAN: I said, “I love you,” first, but it wasn’t just a casual, testing the waters thing. It was more a When Harry Met Sally, “I can’t live the rest of my life without you by my side” moment — the kind that comes from certainty, not impulse.

RACHEL: For me, it sort happened both slowly and then all at once. It was the mundane, non-Instagram worthy minutes, hours and days of building a life together that were important, from household chores done together with laughter to mundane trials like helping find lost keys. But after past relationship challenges, it was Ryan’s support and belief in me that sealed the deal. He helped me rebuild a life he didn’t break, and he made me feel supported, seen, and worth choosing.

Q. Tell us about the details of the proposal? How did you feel? How did it go?

RACHEL: Ryan doesn’t just love motorcycles and dogs…he also loves cars, particularly his Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing car. Cars in general are his passion, and I love to support him in whatever way I can. I even often ride along with him, both for the fun of it and to watch him in his element. But that day I had a gut feeling something was up, and I even texted myself at 4:00 AM saying, “I think he’s going to propose today.” But I couldn’t have imagined what he had planned.

RYAN: There was an SCCA racing event I was taking part in that day, and I thought it would be a perfect moment to propose. I had it all planned, but it was challenging to try to make it happen without her figuring it out. I asked her to ride along with me, but then casually mentioned, “I may need you to help me drive,” which was really out of the ordinary. She looked at me questioningly, almost with a little terror, like she was saying, “Help you how, exactly?” Then, I suddenly stopped the car mid-race. She looked panicked, like we had broken down. And then I pulled out the ring — one she had sent me a TikTok video of it, not realizing I had already bought it for her [CONFIRM TIMELINE]— and asked her to marry me.

RACHEL: And sitting in the car, with the world buzzing around us, I said yes! Despite all the chaos swirling outside, it felt like this little perfect bubble of just the two of us. Then we got to celebrate with our friends and family at the end of the race. It was absolutely perfect.

“Our proposal was honestly over the top in the best way — but also completely us.”

Q.   And what about the wedding? Did everything go off without a hitch? Was it everything you dreamed of? 

For our wedding we booked the Little Tennessee Event Farm. It’s an all-inclusive venue, so that took a lot of the stress off our shoulders, letting us just relax and enjoy the day. We did choose to have a very small “micro” wedding, but that meant everyone there was someone we specifically chose because they cared about us as much as we cared about them. The entire day was overflowing with laughter, comfort, and so much love.

As part of our vows, I surprised Ryan with his dream dog — a golden retriever puppy named Enzo. I had arranged for Ryan to get to pick him out of the litter after the wedding. So that day we became not just husband and wife, but a family of three (albeit one member a canine).

"Choose someone who feels like coming home."

Q. Any advice to couples or newlyweds? Anything else you’d like to share with the world?

Marriage isn’t just the big moments — it’s the tiny ones that stack up: laughing in the kitchen, figuring things out together, helping each other grow, and celebrating both the extraordinary and the beautifully ordinary.

We also both show up for each other, on the hard days and the easy days. We choose to give each other patience, humor, and grace, even when it would be easier not to. We are choosing to build not just a love, but a partnership and a life together, and we are both committed to the choices, the actions, and the moments that make real long-lasting love and relationships happen. Without hesitation.

We’re so grateful for the path that led us here, and we can’t wait to keep adventuring, relaxing, and laughing together for the rest of our lives — fast cars, lost keys, and all.