It was love at first swipe… Marissa messaged Carlton first (classic) on the last week of June 2022. One of Carlton’s prompts on Hinge was that he had participated in a “Polar Bear Plunge” to which Marissa responded “OMG you swam with Polar Bears?! That is so cool!” Naturally, after a response like that, Carlton ghosted Marissa for a week. Just when Marissa was giving up hope, Carlton messaged Marissa back on July 4th saying he was so sorry for not getting back to her in a timely fashion, as he was on vacation with his family & was trying to be in the moment and off of his phone (cue the “Awwwww”). Carlton would be returning in a few days and said he would love to take Marissa on a date when he got back. They went on their first date July 9th (it lasted 5 and a half hours)… and then they proceeded to go on a date every day for the next week. On July 22nd, Carlton asked Marissa to be his girlfriend after a Sister Hazel concert and the rest is history!

Carlton and Marissa started to look at rings together in August 2023. They both felt immediately drawn to the classic oval solitaire on a thin gold band. Carlton later went back and picked out the exact diamond. He recounts looking through the microscope and discussing the 5 C's with the jeweler--clarity, carat, cut, color, and the most important C... Carlton. Carlton brought the ring home and tried his best to keep the secret from Marissa (which is very hard to do because she is quite nosy...) After surviving an initial ring hiding place gone awry and recruiting Marissa's friends and parents to throw her off her tracks, Carlton took Marissa on a walk at Salem Lake on November 18, 2023. Carlton got down on one knee on a large rock in the middle of a creek and asked Marissa to marry him. Marissa immediately jumped up and down multiple times, exclaiming YES! And because Carlton had thought of everything, Marissa's friend Abigail was in disguise, taking pictures of the entire moment. The rest of the day was spent celebrating with both families, several local friends, lots of food and Prosecco, and a William Hinson album release concert (iykyk).