Neil and Jessica met while working at the same company. Jessica worked for corporate and came to Knoxville for work and Neil worked the shows that she went to. They had met before but it just wasn’t the right time. A while later  the universe aligned and they finally decided to give it a try and did the long distance thing while Jessica lived in Michigan and he in Tennessee. When things started to get serious Jessica took a work opportunity and decided to move closer to Neil so they could experience a relationship together without the distance in the way. Fast forward to this past year when Neil popped the question.

They both knew that they wanted to make a commitment to one another and decided to go ring shopping. While looking, Jessica mentioned that she liked 2 different kinds and that it was just hard to choose. Thinking nothing more of it, Neil decided to buy both rings and have the jeweler combined them into one. Neil picked the time when he was ready to propose but due to unforeseen circumstances he decided to pop the question at a family gathering. They were hanging out in the backyard and he cued up the song “Tough Ones” by Cooper Allen. This song meant a lot to Jessica because she felt it spoke a lot about their relationship as the lyrics say “only the ones that are tough make it through” -much like their long distance relationship. As the song played and Jessica was distracted by a game of ladder golf, Neil got down on one knee and had to clear his throat several times to get her attention. When she turned around Neil asked for her hand and the rest is history.