Clear Cut Couples: Marley and Ben

Marley and Ben met at Indiana University... Go Hoosiers! Marley was in her first year of post grad and was back in Bloomington visiting for the Little 500 weekend, Ben was one week from graduating. They met at their favorite college bar and the rest is history! They now have a goldendoodle who they love dearly, named Hoosier.

Their "first date" was really the 72 hours Marley spent in Bloomington for Little 500 weekend. They met at the bar the first night and didn't leave each other's sides the entire rest of the weekend! Ben even drove Marley to the airport at 4:00 AM Monday morning so she could make it back to Raleigh (where she was living at the time) in time for work.

Marley joked that Ben was her "72 hour boyfriend." The next weekend was Ben's second to last weekend of college and the weekend before his final exams. Saturday night, Marley attended a beer festival in Raleigh and then came home and Facetimed Ben after one too many beers. She told him he should fly to see her for the day on Sunday before his finals started.

This was very out of character for Ben, as he is very routine and not particularly spontaneous. Something inside him told him he should go for it. He flew to Raleigh Sunday morning for 24 hours and they had the most incredible visit... and the rest is history!

They have shared so many incredible memories over the years of their relationship. But their dog, Hoosier, is definitely the highlight. Marley's parents have a goldendoodle named Penny and the two of them are best friends. They love hiking with them and taking them to the beach.

A special memory is when Marley & Ben ventured to the Maldives & Dubai in 2021 after a TikTok of Hoosier went viral and scored them a sweet discount. It really was a once in a lifetime trip and the two were grateful to spend it with each other.

The proposal happened on 8/24/22. Marley knew it was coming but didn't know when. Ben posed the wine tasting as a gift from his boss for his recent success on a project.

Ben got down on one knee on a shaded hill overlooking Napa Valley. Marley was speechless when she saw the ring, and was even more shocked when Ben showed her all the little details he had hidden throughout the ring.

He went with a round brilliant diamond set in platinum prongs with a hidden halo and a 14k yellow gold band. He included their birth stones on the inside of the band and a special engraving.

They then went back to their hotel where (to Marley's surprise) they were met by Marley's parents, her childhood best friend Helene, and Hoosier & Penny.

As for their wedding, they are planning on getting married in Italy! They visited Italy together in 2019 and have always dreamed of having a destination wedding there. They are working with the same planner that Olivia used! Congrats you two! We are SO happy for you!