How We Met

In April of 2023, Sean and Nicole met on Hinge—or rather, Sean found Nicole there while she was blissfully unaware, having deleted the app weeks earlier. When she finally reinstalled it and saw his profile, his smile stopped her mid-scroll…there was something enchanting about it. The first date was endearingly awkward—Sean was nervous, admitted he had "strategically adjusted" his age to land in her search parameters, casually mention he’d found her social media account, and was separated but still technically married. By any reasonable standard, these were red flags waving in the wind. But, there was something sparkly about him. Something warm and deeply trustworthy beneath all the nervous energy and questionable digital detective work. He made her laugh as he walked Nicole to her car. True to form, they ended the night as gracefully as it had started it: she leaned in for a kiss on the lips, he went for the cheek.

Our Relationship

After several months of casually dating, everything changed in Sturgis in August 2023. Nicole was there for work and Sean joined a few days later to ride motorcycles in the Badlands with her. Then Nicole got COVID on the last day—the ugly kind. Without flinching, Sean showed up with medicine, liquids and back rubs, completely unbothered by the risk. In that moment, she knew he had shown her what real love looks like. Over the course of many motorcycle dates along the coast, art shows out on the town, adventures up in the air and playing pool at the local dive, they fell in love. In August of 2025, Sean, Nicole + Joey moved in together in Sausalito.

The Engagement

On July 23rd, 2025, Sean & Nicole were at the airport with the kids heading to a family reunion in Belize when Sean pulled out a pair of Meta glasses. They all goofed around with them—she thought it a peculiar purchase. She'd playfully been giving him endless grief about being terrible at surprises, so when he upgraded them to first class while the kids went to coach, she was…well, surprised! After a cocktail, she started her bedtime routine—contacts out, face washed, ready to sleep at 1 a.m.—when Sean suddenly panicked. Before she could pass out, he abruptly whipped out a ring box and asked if she'd marry him. No knee. No grand speech. And in his panic, he'd even forgotten to wear the Meta glasses he'd bought to record the moment! Just a blurry outline of her boyfriend holding a ring like he'd just remembered he had homework due. She asked if he was serious. He said yes, of course. So she said yes too. Then he told her he'd called her dad and had been carrying the ring around for a month, which sealed the deal. They shared the news with the kids and family at the reunion and everyone was thrilled…even if the proposal itself was hilariously un-romantic.