To celebrate Valentine’s Day, The Talon has collected the love stories of three couples who are currently attending Oklahoma Christian.
Hope and George
Hope Tugman (Junior) and George Hartman (Senior) met during their first year at Oklahoma Christian. They had both signed up for a 10 day Europe trip before Earn Your Wings, but COVID caused the trip to be canceled. When their trip was rescheduled to the wintersession, they found themselves to be the only two freshmen on a trip with upperclassmen.
They shared a lot of mutual friends leading up to the trip.
“I was like, ‘I can hopefully befriend him on the way to Europe,’ and hopefully survive. I think for both of us, it was like, ‘Let’s just have each other,’” Hope said.
Throughout the trip, they shared unique experiences together which led them to a pivotal three-hour conversation in the hotel lobby.
“Everyone had already pitted us as dating because we were the only two freshmen.The sponsor on that trip walked by us and said, ‘Hey, you two. What are you talking about?’ We said, ‘Oh, stuff and things,’ he walked away and the next morning he said, ‘How was your stuff and things?’” George said.
After they became a couple, they went on more trips together and even experienced Hope’s dream of going to a coffee shop on a mountaintop in Switzerland. Last semester, they decided to keep living their dreams together and got engaged.
Their original wedding date was in November of 2024, but due to changes with the academic calendar, they postponed the wedding one more month. The couple will now be wed in December of 2024, the weekend after finals.
Cayden and Zach
Cayden Abrams (Senior) and Zach Barth (Senior) connected through Cayden’s involvement in Summer Singers. Zach was roommates with a couple of the Summer Singers which allowed opportunities for him to get to know Cayden.
Zach and his roommates liked going to Blockworks, a local rock climbing gym. After interacting with Cayden through Summer Singers events, Zach asked his roommates to invite the Summer Singers to the gym hoping Cayden would come too.
“I kept wondering how I was going to hang out with Cayden alone, so at Blockworks, I asked her, ‘Me and you, what are we doing after this?’” Zach said.
They went on their first date not long after to Red Rock Canyon Grill and the lighthouse. Zach said he took Cayden there because she likes lighthouses, and they shared their first kiss that night too.
As their relationship progressed, Cayden found a note on Zach’s phone that listed all the reasons he loved her. She decided to write one too and then they shared the notes with each other.
Through the summer of 2023, they started talking about getting married.
“I knew I was going to marry him, I was just waiting for him to propose,” Cayden said.
Zach carefully planned a surprise proposal to happen during Cayden’s senior photos. Cayden was suspicious that the proposal would happen then because her roommate accidentally tipped her off, but the friends involved were able to throw her off the scent.
“We went to three or four locations for the photos, and I kept thinking, ‘Oh, here it is; oh, he’s waiting here,’ and then he wouldn’t be there,” Cayden said.
Cayden thought she saw Zach’s car in the parking lot, but the photographer and video assistant subtly convinced her otherwise until they could get her to where he was waiting at Hafer Park.
“I saw this green polo sticking out from the trees and I can tell by the silhouette it’s Zach. I freeze, and I immediately start crying,” Cayden said. “On the record, I’m very excited to marry Zach.”
The couple plans to wed May 12, 2024, two weeks after graduation.
Grace and Austin
Grace Byrd (Junior) and Austin Byrd (Senior) met at the weekly Bible study held at Jeff Simmons’ house. However, they did not start getting to know each other until they were in Matt McCook’s Exploring American History course.
At the end of the history class, they went on a two week trip to Washington D.C.
“On the trip, we pretty much became best friends, but in a trip kinda way,” Austin said.
“I had seen him at Bible study, and on the trip, he was so nice and genuine. He was kind to everyone and treated everyone with respect,” Grace said. “It’s pretty much safe to say that I was head over heels for him from that trip.”
Grace asked Austin to start walking with her around Eagle Trail so she would not have to walk alone, but she said he was “oblivious” to her interest in him.
Grace befriended Austin’s brother and welcomed the siblings into her friend group.
“We were friends for months and pretty much doing everything together. We would go to
church together, Walmart, study together, but just as friends,” Grace said. “One day after church, Austin asked me on a date, and a few days later asked me to be his girlfriend.”
The couple had an expedited courtship and when Austin wanted to propose, he was so nervous he had a panic attack. They had to go to two different urgent care clinics that day.
“He was so determined to do it that day, he took me to a park after urgent care and proposed. It was definitely a little crazy,” Grace said.
Grace and Austin were married April 30, 2023.
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