Dayton & Chloe

Tell our community a bit about yourself and Chloe and how you both met.

Dayton: Chloe and I owe our relationship to a very special mutual friend. After Chloe followed me on Instagram, I remember telling our friend Toni how pretty she was. The following week at church, Chloe came up to me and started chatting. Turns out Toni had passed it along to her. 

Chloe: We had hung out a few times, and Dayton had been so intentional and generous every time, dropping my lunch at work and always insisting on paying for everything we did. He made me laugh, and he made me feel safe. I was driving to meet him one time, and I was thinking, I can't just be friends with this guy. He took me to get my nails done, then out to dinner, followed by bowling and ice cream. And in the car afterwards, I blurted out to him that I liked him, and it's been us ever since. 

Do you celebrate Valentine's day, or do you show love and appreciation for each other every day on other days? 

D: Unintentionally, we have never celebrated Valentine's Day. On our very first Valentine's Day, I ended up in the hospital with pleurisy; at the time, we'd only been dating for a few months and under Covid rules, Chloe was the only one allowed to stay with me overnight. While it was not a pleasant experience for me, we grew much closer. 

C: That very first Valentine's Day has almost set this precedent that February 14th is a time when we support and look after one another. Even though Dayton is very gifted when it comes to romantic gestures (He sent me flowers from across the Tasman one year), the times I have cherished the most are when he has made dinner for me after a long trip, comforted me when I've been upset or looked after me when I've been sick. 

Valentine's Day, our anniversary and birthdays are all excuses for us to celebrate our love and remind each other how grateful we are to do life together. We'll go out for a nice dinner, open presents, laugh and have fun together. Plus, Dayton says he has something special planned for this year; if all goes to plan, it could be our very first! 

What are the qualities you admire most in each other?

C: Anyone who meets Dayton knows how generous he is. Not only has Dayton been incredibly thoughtful and generous to me, but he drops lunch to my friends at work and pays for their dinners. He brings thoughtful presents to my parents every Mother's Day and every birthday. A quieter quality that I admire most is his strength in adversity. In the highs and the lows, Dayton remains steadfast and strong; he has been my anchor and comfort in the hard times and has laughed with me and celebrated me in the good times. 

D: What I admire most about Chloe is her remarkable ability to infuse joy into every situation. Her capacity to find beauty in the simplest moments has profoundly impacted my perspective on life. Whether it's a challenging day or a good one, Chloe serves as a constant reminder to be grateful for what we have. Since meeting her, she has become my anchor, reassuring me that everything will be okay. Her infectious joy is a precious gift, and I feel incredibly fortunate to continue life's journey with her by my side.

You had a beautiful proposal story in New York - tell us about the planning for this and what ended up happening. Chloe, did you have any idea this would be happening?

D: Chloe had been binge-watching Gossip Girl months in advance to prepare for our New York trip and had mentioned Chuck and Blair almost getting engaged at the top of the Empire State Building. As I was looking for the perfect place to propose, I kept coming back to the Empire State Building.

To propose up the Empire State, you had to book this tour, which was perfect because Chloe's Dad loves a tour, and we had done countless similar tours at other landmarks. So I knew she wouldn't suspect a thing. 

I took her parents out for dinner a few months out and showed them the ring. Getting their blessing and seeing their excitement as we planned the proposal together was truly special.

I have always struggled to keep a secret, but I managed to sit on this one for 3 months. Unbeknownst to Chloe, I had not been able to keep a secret from any of her friends. Sharing it with some of the people closest to us made it even more exciting. 

The whole day leading up to our proposal, I was so nervous and barely ate anything. Chloe's brother must have learnt my speech by heart as I practised it in our hotel room. And in classic New York style, we were 45 minutes late to our dinner reservation. 

C: I had thought he might propose, but I figured that Dayton or my mum would have let it slip. Neither of them can keep a secret. So when my mum told me not to get my hopes up, I was entirely thrown off. I didn't even notice how nervous Dayton was. When he calmly reacted to being 45 minutes late for dinner, I thought okay, it's definitely not happening. 

Once we got up to the top, this little area was cordoned off with little candles and champagne. I thought it must be a special part of the tour, and my Dad is known for celebrating the end of our holidays in style.  

But when our tour guide opened the cordon, and only Dayton and I walked in, I started crying. Dayton said the most beautiful speech as we looked at the Manhattan lights. Getting engaged in New York City and having my parents and brother there was so special. It was beyond my wildest dreams.