Melanie and Jack met 3 years ago at Cafe Mingo in Beaverton. Having first connected online the two knew quite a bit about each other before meeting in person. Jack’s first impression of Melanie was that she was extremely pretty. Melanie’s first impression of Jack was that he talked too loud, a bad habit of his when nervous. After dinner Jack walked Melanie out to her car in the pouring down rain, not sure if he would ever see her again. However the next morning over text he inquired as to another date, to which Melanie replied with a simple yet ambiguous “sure.”

A few months later, Jack first met Sabine at the Oregon Zoo, excited to show her around the place he spent a lot of time as a kid. Then a few days later at a concert in the neighborhood park, Jack and Sabine went on a walk alone together to pick up dinner and without warning Sabine said to Jack, “I wish you were my Dad.” You should have seen the look on Melanie’s face when they got back to the park and Jack told her about that.

Over time their lives became more and more intertwined. The two developed a love for travel, with frequent trips to Hawaii together, and later with Sabine to Legoland and Chicago. Jack and Sabine also became close, through frequent trips to Costco, the craft store Michael’s, and of course Chuck E. Cheese. After watching the Boss Baby movies together, Jack bestowed upon Sabine the nickname “Boss” and it stuck. However Melanie frequently reminds Sabine that mothers will always be the boss of daughters.

After 1 year of dating, Jack knew it was time to pop the question. On their 1 year anniversary, Melanie was at a medical conference in Monterrey, California. In what has been dubbed the worst kept secret, Jack flew down for the weekend and proposed on the beach with a local photographer staked out to capture the moment. After that the two started making long-term life plans, although in reality things were already well in the works.

This past summer was a busy one for both, as Jack sold his condo and then Melanie sold her house. The two combined forces to buy a house together in Portland, conveniently located down the street from both Melanie’s parents and Jack’s parents. The two wasted no time fixing it up, hiring contractor after contractor to make it just the way they want. With the move, Sabine still attends the same school and Melanie and Jack are both closer to their offices. It has been dubbed the “forever home,” with 3 floors including a basement bedroom which Sabine gets to move into when she’s a teenager.

Melanie and Jack are excited for their wedding, to celebrate with friends and family as they enter this next chapter of their lives.