After meeting on Tinder, it was days before both Linsey & Mallory realized that they had found a soul mate in one another. Linsey planned a park proposal and had a photographer secretly there to capture the emotional moment.
How did you two lovers meet?
L: We have been together for just over a year now, 13 months to be exact.
I went to visit a best friend in Georgia, and we went out for a night to drink and dance in Jacksonville. A few too many drinks later, and I found matching with one of the most beautiful women I’d ever see in my life – on Tinder.
A day or so went by. I never messaged, and neither did she. My friend ragged on me like you have to, ‘you have to.’ I gained the courage to say “hi,” and it continued from there.
She said she wasn’t a dog person. I accepted the challenge and got her number to provide pictures of my beautiful pup. We went on a date on a rooftop bar, we talked all night and sipped wine. When we realized it was closing time, we went back to the house she was dog sitting for, ate frozen pizza, and talked for another 5 hours. I left that night without even a hug, and Mal asked to see me the next day.
The next evening we saw one another again for a few hours, and we had our first kiss, which was incredible. I was flying back to PA the next day, and I knew I couldn’t leave yet. And so, I asked her if she wanted me to see if I could change my flight, and before I could finish the sentence, she said yes.
I changed my flight, and that night I knew she would be the one I would marry.
It’s been over a year now. We spent six months of our relationship doing long-distance. I am from Pennsylvania, and she is from Florida.
We’d take turns each month flying back and forth to one another for a few days and finally sealed the deal in October. Love comes in some of the wildest forms, and this was not one either of us saw coming.
The happiness I feel when I am around her is unexplainable.
M: Within the first month of knowing Lin, I found myself trying to explain how I felt in the best way I knew how. I told her that I felt like my soul was safe with her.
We truly did fall in love on the first date.
She changed her flight to prolong our date. And we stayed up that entire last night, falling even more in love. It really has just been the wildest year, falling in love with her and growing alongside her. It’s been so spiritual and whole and beautiful.
I still felt that same feeling of safety during our proposal as I did in that first month. It’s never wavered. I have always been adamant about not believing in soulmates, but, Lin has really changed my opinion of that.
The Universe has guided us and supported us through each step in our relationship.
When did you start planning the proposal?
L: I started planning the proposal in November of 2019. I spent time searching around town to find what felt right, and it hit me one day on a stroll to take Mal coffee on a lunch break.
I wanted to do it right, and I asked both her parents – I talked with her sister and a few friends and found the perfect diamond. We had gone ring shopping previously and picked out different rings she liked, and I created it piece by piece with the jeweler.
The result was incredible than either of us ever imagined.
How was asking Mal’s parents if you could marry their daughter?
L:It took me 3 hours to ask her mom if I could marry her! I was full of nerves and cried twice.
Tell us about the proposal.
L: The park was just a block from where we had gone on our first date, and it felt perfect. I had organized with photographer, Yazi Davis, to be there in the park to capture the moment.
The golden hour was breathtaking, and I knew it was secluded enough Mal wouldn’t freak out when I asked.
What does your engagement mean to you both?
L: Our engagement has solidified all of the words, experiences, and moments we have shared together over the last year. From the moment we met, it became apparent this wasn’t a fling, and it was something that would blossom.
Since our engagement, neither of us has stopped abusing the word fiancée at every chance we have to say it.
It has only let our love grow stronger and deeper.
Photography by Yazi Davis
