Joe, Melissa, their two dogs, and Melissa’s cousin piled into the car and headed towards Big Bay, the tiny little town on Lake Superior where Joe’s family has a cabin. They were beginning the celebrations of Melissa’s 25th birthday, and as they drove it was all Joe could do to try and play along with the plans Melissa thought were about to happen. Those plans began with a well crafted lie involving her cousin needing to take the car after arriving to the cabin in order to go “see a friend” before joining in on all of the birthday fun.

As Joe and Melissa opened the gate and headed towards the front door, Joe slowed his pace as he patted his pockets in search of the keys (all part of the act, of course). Explaining he must have left them in the car, he suggested they take a walk along the beach while they waited for her cousin to return. A crisp spring breeze blew off the lake as they strolled and the dogs ran. Melissa headed towards the steps back up to the cabin when she heard Joe say something. Turning, Joe took her hands in his and lowered one knee onto the sand. Melissa gasped, her heart racing, her lips trying to form the words yes.

They were soon met not just by Melissa’s cousin returning to the cabin, but by both of their families ready to congratulate and celebrate into the night. The evening filled with laughter and new memories as they celebrated not only the beginning of Melissa’s 25th year, but the perfect beginning of the rest of Melissa and Joe’s life.

Steve was in Ann Arbor working on a three year residency to become a periodontist when he decided to take a weekend trip and head towards the Twin Cities. His roommate from dental school was living there, and the two of them were prepared for a weekend of fun and relaxation. The one thing Steve wasn’t prepared for was meeting his roommates longtime friend from high school and college.

Enter Patricia. Or Trish, as she’s more commonly known by. Steve followed his friend into Trish’s apartment and instantly stopped in his tracks. She was tall with light sparkly eyes, and had a long crown of golden hair that would make any head turn. Their eyes met and she flashed him the most pearly white smile, while her hand made a motion to a table of food for the boys (mac+cheese, hot dogs, pretzels and ketchup was her specialty). The night rolled on into laughing and good cheer, and by the end of the weekend Steve had Trish’s number punched into his phone.

The months that followed were filled with weekend trips to see each other, sometimes in the towns they lived, but mostly in random cities and places they could both drive about halfway to. They could barely go a month without seeing one another, and their weeknights were filled with long phone conversations lasting for hours. Their dream came true when they both landed jobs in the same town in Northern Michigan. Trish packed up her dog, Gatsby, and hit the road to meet her man in their new home, ready for their happily ever after.

Hayes and his buddies loaded into the car packed with all the necessities, headed for a weekend getaway to play some disc golf. After getting on the road he reached for his phone and started exploring his different apps. Eventually he tapped on Tinder, and as the car passed through various Michigan towns he scrolled through the different faces appearing on his screen. He paused on a photo and noticed the long golden hair and pale eyes of the girl staring back at him. She was beautiful. He swiped right, and after a minute tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Jacqui glanced at the photo of the guy and smiled. His blue eyes and bald head caught her attention, but she frowned realizing he lived in a completely different state. “How did he find me?” she wondered as she double checked her settings to make sure her app was still set for a 100 mile radius. Jacqui thought for a moment, pondering what the possibilities would even be with a guy who lived further away than she ever wanted to consider. But as she peered down again at the photo of the cute face smiling back at her, her hand was already in motion moving towards the screen of her phone. Swipe right.

Jacqueline + Hayes had the most wonderful idea to take their engagement photos on Mackinac Island, a gorgeous little vacation spot nestled between the Upper and Lower Peninsula’s of Michigan. The weather forecast was stormy, but the rain held off leaving us with romantic clouds and sweeping wind.