It might be possible that you only know Nate. Or maybe you only know Alie. If that’s you, here are the basics to get you up to speed:

Alie was born and raised in Mequon, WI, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. After graduating high school, she moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota for both undergraduate and graduate school. She currently practices social work at HIP Housing, a nonprofit organization in San Mateo.

Nate was also a suburban boy, spending his first 20 years in Brooklyn Park, MN. He’s lived all over the Twin Cities and has been working as a graphic designer for most his career. When Alie and Nate moved to California, Nate was fortunate enough to keep his job at HomeSpotter, a startup company in Minneapolis. Nate works remotely from home and travels back to MN for work every few months.

Like the typical modern couple, Alie and Nate met on the internet in the summer of 2012. The first time Nate came over to Alie’s house in South Minneapolis, he was greeted by three big dogs and one rude cat. How he was ever able to look past all that furry baggage will always be a mystery.

After dating for 2.5 years in Minneapolis, Alie and Nate picked up their stuff (and only 1 of the 3 dogs) and moved to San Francisco, where they’ve been ever since. On September 8 of 2016, while vacationing in Italy with the Sobczaks and celebrating Robert and Marleen’s 40th wedding anniversary, Nate proposed on a beach in the Mediterranean.

Check out a little vid of the proposal here: