❤️ We Do! Love Stories: Meet Savannah & Jim

Savannah & Jim’s Journey to Marriage

What happens when two people swipe right in the middle of a global pandemic? For Savannah and Jim, it sparked a love story that would take them across the world—and eventually under a eucalyptus tree where everything changed.

Meet Savannah & Jim

Buzz, Buzz - It's A Match!

Dating is hard. Dating in a global pandemic? Even harder. But on October 6, 2021, Jim and Savannah matched on Bumble and never looked back. Even over text, they very quickly felt a connection. Jim, who’s not typically one to rush things, asked Savannah out within the first week of messaging and thankfully, she said yes.

That first date almost ended in confusion. Jim came back from the bathroom and didn’t see Savannah at the table. For a brief moment, he thought she’d left. (Spoiler: she was just out of view.) Despite the false alarm, the night went incredibly well. Two weeks later, Jim asked Savannah to be his girlfriend.

She said no... at first. (Don’t worry—she changed her mind a few weeks later!)

From First Dates to Falling in Love

In the year and a half following, their relationship deepened and love quickly took root. Savannah enjoyed living life more vibrantly with Jim. She found that his silliness brought out her own and was somehow charmed by Jim driving the wrong way down a one-way street when he drove her home after their second date.

Jim, meanwhile, swooned over the sparkle in Savannah's eyes, her sincere and thoughtful kindness, and how seamlessly Savannah fit in with his family. As the old adage goes, one could also say his feelings were substantially helped along by Savannah's baking prowess.

But many moments were of a different kind of sweetness, like when Savannah took Jim on a surprise trip to Maine or how Jim always insisted that he should drive Savannah home after a date instead of her Ubering (direction of traffic aside).

Other moments were funny, like a month into dating, when Jim brought Savannah to his family’s annual Christmas singalong. They walked in the door, Jim introduced Savannah to the group, and then promptly left her to fend for herself among the 20 or so people that were present. Good thing Jim's mom was a better host and invited Savannah to sit with her until Jim finally decided to check in on her (thanks, Mom!).

Kissed a Stone, Got a Rock!

Engaged in Ireland

Some of Savannah and Jim’s favorite moments together have come from their travels. They’ve been lucky enough to travel to nine states and six countries together, and they can't wait to continue exploring the world. When choosing their first international trip as a couple, it had to be either Ireland (where Jim studied abroad) or Scotland (where Savannah studied abroad). They ultimately chose Ireland and departed for the Emerald Isle in June of 2023.

Unbeknownst to Savannah, Jim planned a surprise for her that didn't make it onto the itinerary (and Savannah loves her itineraries).

As planned, Savannah and Jim departed for Blarney Castle on the morning of June 30. They toured the castle, kissed the Blarney Stone, and started exploring the castle grounds. As luck would have it, they found themselves alone under a beautiful eucalyptus tree when Savannah declared, "Isn't it magical?!"

Jim knew it was the perfect place for the unscheduled activity, and surprised Savannah by getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.

Savannah ecstatically said, "YES!"

They stood under what they now consider to be their eucalyptus tree, embracing, crying, laughing, and looking at how the ring sparkled on Savannah’s hand (fortunately, she really liked it). Eventually, they continued walking around the castle grounds, knowing that so much was the same, yet entirely different.

One of Jim’s favorite parts of the day was how Savannah would suddenly remember and say, “Oh, my God!” while holding her left hand up to look at the ring or grabbing onto Jim and shaking him.

Not just that day either – Savannah happily took many pictures of her hand next to the various beautiful and famous Irish landmarks throughout the rest of the trip!

Christmas in Ireland

Telling their families about the engagement was incredibly fun.

The first person they told was Savannah’s sister. While Savannah was completely surprised by Jim’s proposal, she and her sister had still joked prior to the trip that it would be “Christmas in Ireland” if a proposal happened (a nod to the movie Sweet Home Alabama).

Savannah just had to let her sister know that it had happened, but it was so early on the East Coast when Savannah called to tell her that her sister didn’t even remember the joke!

Another highlight was when they called Jim’s mom while she was driving home from work. She pulled over and said, “We’ve been waiting!”, which then became a theme especially after they found out that two of Jim’s cousins made a bet on whether he would propose during the trip.

That bet created the only negative response to their engagement (that they know of!), as the loser of the bet lamented the loss of his five bucks.

Looking Ahead

Of course, the wedding planning soon began. They agreed that the wedding would need to take place in 2025, as they already had several events happening in the summer of 2024 (including a bucket-list trip to the Paris Olympics).

A long engagement, though painful at times, turned out to be a blessing in many ways.

There will be much more to share in future posts, but for now, suffice it to say that the planning process gave Savannah and Jim the chance to discover what worked best for them as a couple. They’ve been able to truly enjoy the majority of the planning process, from finding their perfect venue and creating a video save the date, to finding a harpist for the ceremony and landing on the best combination of florists.

They’re counting down the days to 11.1.25, and can’t wait to celebrate with the people they love most. Until then, Savannah and Jim are excited to share all the moments, planning tips, and surprises that have shaped their story so far.

This is just the beginning. There’s so much more to come: the wins, the lessons, and the behind-the-scenes moments that brought them here. Thanks for being part of Savannah and Jim’s story!

Stay tuned for the next chapter in We Do! Love Stories.