Thomas and Shannon met at the University of Oklahoma during their freshman year. Their fraternity and sorority was paired together for USing, a competition in which singing and dancing is required. During rehearsals, Shannon noticed Thomas’s abysmal attempt at coordinated singing and dancing, and made sure to point this out to him. From there, a friendship began to grow and soon they went on a first date to Chili’s (he had a gift card), a date to the zoo, and ultimately a Sigma Nu formal, where an infamous question was asked by Shannon: “Someone asked what ‘we’ are, so, what are we?” and an even more infamous answer was given by Thomas: “We’re exploring our options.”

Now, seven years later, Thomas and Shannon live in Houston, have been on countless trips to their favorite places, and spend all of their free time together. On June 15, 2023, while in Positano, Italy, Thomas proposed on a rainy evening (ask him about the fireworks he planned later that night!) Now, a year and 364 days after Shannon agreed to marry Thomas, they will say their marriage vows at the same place and hotel they became engaged at.