When Austin and Nicole got engaged this past March in New York City, it was the culmination of a romance that began…well, rather unromantically!

“Austin ghosted me,” Nicole said.

The two connected on Bumble back in August 2015. She made the first move, then the two got chatting. “The conversation was very light and lasted a weekend, and then we stopped speaking for a month,” said Nicole.

When Austin got back in touch towards the end of September, he told Nicole he’d lost her number, his phone having been ‘wiped’ after an internship. 

Luckily, she overlooked his dating faux pas and gave him a second chance. Here, in their own words, is their love story.

Describe your first date. How did you feel leading up to it? Was it what you expected?

Nicole: Our first date was quite unusual. My company had given employees free Zedd tickets and I got a “plus one,” so I invited Austin. We met at a bar in Murray Hill, Manhattan for a drink or two. (I was 40 minutes late, and I’ll never live that down!) We then made our way to Madison Square Garden for the concert. I felt really good leading up to it, but tried to keep the expectations light. Our first date was full of dancing and singing, even though we didn’t know many Zedd songs! I wasn’t completely sold after the first date, yet I remember going to yoga the next morning and talking about the amazing night. I was still skeptical since I’d had many failed dates. It wasn’t until my second date that I knew he was the one.

Austin: We were originally supposed to just meet at a bar. When she told me she had tickets, I actually had to look Zedd up to realize the songs I had heard. Based in part on advice from a college friend that I should be willing to try new things, I agreed to go to the concert. I also really wanted to finally meet Nicole, so I figured it was something different than other dates I had been on. The experience was better than what I could expect. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, and felt to me as if we had known each other for quite some time.

How does your partner empower you to be the best version of yourself?

Nicole: Austin is one of the smartest, most dedicated, loyal guys I have ever met. These qualities in him allow me to be the best person I can be and really make me appreciate every day single day together.

Austin: Nicole is an assertive, confident, and selfless person. Not only is she supportive of me, but she pushes me to do things and grow in ways that I just wouldn’t do on my own.

What upcoming goals do you have for your relationship? 

Nicole: Our biggest goals are to continue developing our relationship and focusing on building our life together. I’m a firm believer that you can’t be complacent. There’s always more to learn about each other. I’m also excited to do all the ‘adulting’ things like get married, save money together, and have a family. Basically, we’re focusing on everything!

Austin: Our biggest focus is planning our wedding and everything that it entails. We also continue to plan trips together. For me, I’m excited that I’ve found someone I’m looking forward to experiencing life with. I feel I’ve found a person who makes the fun times incredible and the inevitable difficult points manageable.

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