Mackenzie & Paul

Our Story

Our paths had crossed many times over the years, at church and at family parties. During the summer of 2019, we both vacationed in Hawaii. After sharing my pictures on Instagram, Paul reached out and asked about my trip. Soon after, he asked me out on our first date, putt putt golfing and dinner. Little did he know that both places he chose that evening were very special to me, as they were places my grandparents used to take me.  It was an amazing night, and we definitely had an instant connection. Not long after our first date, Paul introduced me to his friends during a trip to Mohican. Anyone who knows me is very aware of how shy I am, so I was nervous about meeting everyone.  We had so much fun and I felt so comfortable around them. I’m very thankful to now call them my friends, too, and we are so blessed that they will all be standing next to us on our wedding day. Soon after that day, Paul invited me to a Walker Hayes concert. I met his sister and quickly realized how much I was going to love her. Paul officially asked me to be his girlfriend that night. I had just started college at Otterbein, and even though it wasn’t exactly long distance, it was challenging.  Paul had already graduated from OSU and was working, so we got into a routine and just always made sure to make our relationship a priority.  During those 4 years, we went to my sorority events, had weekly date nights and were able to take a couple of vacations together.  We survived Covid, and Paul survived putting up with me as I received Honors degrees in Biology and Zoo & Conservation Science. In August of 2023, on our 4 year anniversary, we decided to recreate our first date. Afterwards, we decided to stop at OSUM and check out the Prairie and Woodland areas, both of which my grandpa helped create. We watched the sunset over the pond, and as a blue Herron flew overhead, I turned around, and Paul was down on one knee. We’re now writing the next chapter of our story together.