A Lesbian Love Story with a Bachelor Twist

How Long Have You Been Together, And How Did You Meet?

We have been together for two and a half years and met in March 2020 at an elementary school in Greeley where we both taught. The day before spring break and the COVID pandemic shut down the world, Emily was doing her first day of teaching solo. Kristi brought her bunch of fifth graders down the hall for music class, and Emily was immediately starstruck. She remembered Kristi saying to her students, “Do your work. I’m so serious.” Her students stood up so straight, and her tone even made Emily stand up straighter. Her students said that Kristi was strict but that she also had a heart of gold. Emily never imagined the coworker who once intimidated her would later become her person.

Emily and Kristi were small talking like coworkers one Friday afternoon about random things, and discovered they are both die-hard Bachelor fans. We both went to each other’s houses to curl up on the couch to watch The Bachelor on Monday nights and talk for hours about our shared love of teaching, cooking, exercise, and of course, Taylor Swift. Our friendship naturally progressed into a relationship as we both discovered we had feelings for each other.

Tell Us About The Planning Process For The Proposal.

Since our relationship blossomed due to the Bachelor, Emily knew that she had to propose to Kristi with a “Final Rose Ceremony Theme.” The ABC show The Bachelor always has elaborate rose ceremonies where the final couple left standing usually proposes to one another. Kristi proposed to me in June 2022, so she knew a counter-proposal was coming, just not when or how. Sneaky!

Emily planned the whole thing with her sister Maddie (CEO of Adventure Instead) to happen on August 28th, 2022 (Kristi’s favorite number is eight, so she proposed on 8/28) at Horsetooth Reservoir. Emily and Maddie worked hard to build an arch with flowers and a neon sign that reads, “It was Always You.” That saying is significant because we are each other’s first. Then, Emily hid the ring and a light pink rose to match our outfits to give Kristi her “final rose” in keeping with The Bachelor’s endings. Emily lured Kristi up there by pretending to take “fake engagement photos” with Maddie, and then the two happened upon the arch where Emily counter-proposed and asked Kristi to accept her final rose!

Any Stories From The Lead Up To The Proposal, Stressful Or Funny?

Emily enlisted some help from her friend Cat to guard the arch and flowers while Kristi and Emily took fake engagement photos with Maddie. Unfortunately, it got so cold up there that the neon sign fell down, and Cat had to improvise getting it back up before we climbed up the mountain! Additionally, several strangers made rude or passive comments about the arch, and Cat gave all her sass, telling them that she was held up for the cutest proposal ever. What a true friend!

What Led You To The Destination Of The Proposal?

Horsetooth Reservoir is where Maddie lives, and we spent a lot of time with her, hiking together as a couple and visiting Maddie’s house to hang out with her. It is also where we are getting married in June 2023!

Tell Us About The Engagement Ring Experience. Where Are The Rings From?

My ring is a Neil Lane ring (the jeweler on The Bachelor) from Kay Jewelers, and Kristi’s ring is from Helzberg Diamonds by Lashbrook. We had a tough time finding something that was truly her style, so it is grey on the outside for her more masculine exterior but rose gold on the inside for her heart of gold!

What does your engagement mean to you both? Has anything changed?

It is the beginning of the rest of our lives, and nothing has changed. Never has, never will!

How Is Wedding Planning Going? What Do You Hope For Your Wedding To Be?

We are getting married at Horsetooth Reservoir at my sister’s house. It is actually the same spot she got married! It overlooks my counter-proposal. We are having an intimate ceremony with just shy of 50 guests. We hope it is a party with all the people we both love and like, who accept and love us for who we are. It’s extremely significant to us because Maddie, my sister, and photographer, is my only family member who will be in attendance at the wedding. She is my only family member who truly loves and accepts me for who I am. I hope it is a beautiful celebration of our lucky love, a giant party with good music, and a day to remember how special it is that I have so many people surrounding me who love me exactly for who I am, not in spite of it.

Lastly, Is There Anything Else You’d Like To Share With Us?

Maddie is the only supportive family member I have, and so it is so special to both of us that she can be a part of the day as a photographer, maid of honor, and my best friend. She is the only close family member who has truly supported me through this whole process and honors me and knows me in the same way I know her.