January 17, 2020 at 3:35 p.m.
Love above Indy
Couple met on 33rd floor of JW Marriott
Love above Indy
There’s a lot to see from the 33rd floor of the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.
To the south is Lucas Oil Stadium.
There’s also Victory Field to the southwest, Military Park to the northwest, the Indiana Statehouse to the northeast and Bankers Life Fieldhouse to the southeast, among others.
Devin Nelson wasn’t looking at any of them.
He intended to. But once he saw Alli Campbell, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
••••••••••
Alli, a 2017 Jay County High School graduate and University of Indianapolis student, and Devin, who is from Fortville and attends Purdue University, were both at the Marriott for the annual Campus Crusade for Christ conference. Known as CRU, the organization is “committed to giving people everywhere the opportunity to know and experience God's love and plan for their lives” and has more than 2,000 campus ministries in the United States.
CRU is also seen as a good place to meet a boyfriend or girlfriend, and potentially future spouse, as it brings together those with a similar mindset, Alli said.
“But I was very against that,” she added. “‘I’m not here to find a man. I’m here to do the conference stuff.’”
Devin had been to previous CRU events with hopes of finding love, but he had shared Alli’s mindset heading into that post-Christmas 2017 event in Indianapolis.
“But then I was on the 33rd floor, and I was like, ‘Dang, she’s cute,’” he said.
Alli and friends Zoe Zeger and Meagan Scheeffer had headed to the 33rd floor of the Marriott for the same reason as many others. They wanted to see the view from high above the city.
Devin did too.
That’s when he saw Alli.
He wasn’t expecting anything to come of the chance encounter, but he made his move nonetheless. He stepped in between Alli and her friends and started a conversation.
“It was so awkward,” said Devin. “I stuck my head in there. I don’t know what I was doing. … And then we just started talking.”
They made small talk and then rode down the elevator. As they parted, Devin told Alli he hoped they would see each other again.
••••••••••
At a conference with an attendance of well over 1,000, seeing each other again seemed unlikely.
Also, Alli had no idea that Devin was interested in more than just chit chat.
“I was oblivious of everything,” she said. “But afterward, my two friends were like, ‘It’s so obvious that he only wanted to talk to you.’”
Some of Devin’s female Purdue friends, who had been on the elevator when Devin said goodbye, noticed as well.
“They’re girls. So they made a huge deal out of it,” he said.
Devin acknowledged that he was interested in Alli, and the girls went to work.
They asked Devin to provide them with every detail about her. (That included a stick figure drawing of a girl with a ring on her right ring finger.)
They started searching for her on social media.
They were on a mission.
As they left their room later to head to one of the conference’s sessions, they ran into a girl who was staying across the hallway. They asked her name. It wasn’t Alli.
They were disappointed. But they asked where she went to school.
That’s when the excitement came back. She was a University of Indianapolis student.
They asked the girl if she knew a fellow Greyhound named “Alli.”
Her response: “Is this the boy?!”
It was Zoe, Alli’s University of Indianapolis roommate. The connection was made.
••••••••••
Students were gathering for the CRU session. Alli was a little late, so there were already plenty of students there.
“And I walk into the session … and I’m bombarded by all his friends,” said Alli.
They asked if she remembered “Devin from the 33rd floor.” They told her Devin wanted her phone number.
“I was very overwhelmed,” Alli said.
But she gave them her number, with the caveat that she would not be initiating anything. That was up to Devin.
When Devin arrived at the session a few minutes later, one of his friends from Purdue informed him that they had located his skyline Cinderella. He didn’t believe her, at least initially.
“And I look and all five of them are huddled around talking to her,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh no. I am not ready for that already.’”
But Devin’s friend Kali Chalupnik delivered Alli’s number. He texted her later in the evening. They kept texting and spent some time together during the conference, including a late-night talk that kept them up until 5 a.m. following a New Year’s Eve party.
More texts followed as they went their separate ways after the conference, and they met in Muncie for their first date on Jan. 6, 2018. Devin didn’t waste any time. He asked Ali to be his girlfriend that night.
“I was a little overwhelmed again because it seemed really fast,” Alli said.
But she also said yes.
••••••••••
Fast forward two years.
Alli and Devin had joked about whether or not they’d ever be able to afford to stay at the Marriott again. After all, it required a key card to get to the 33rd floor.
Little did Alli know, Devin had plans.
The couple headed to Indianapolis Jan. 6 for a date to celebrate two years together. They played games at Dave and Buster’s. They went to dinner at The Eagle’s Nest, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Regency.
That’s when Devin got a phone call — two, actually, it would have been rude to answer the first time while on such a fancy date — that led the couple to meet up with his friends/accomplices Zach Roach and Lauren Monhollen. They went to the Marriott, Alli in hopes of going to the 33rd floor, Devin knowing he already had it arranged. And when Devin handed Zach his coat to hold on to while he went to the restroom, Zach slipped the ring inside its pocket.
A few minutes later, back on the 33rd floor, at the window where Devin made his first “awkward” advance, he asked Alli to be his wife.
She said yes. Again.
••••••••••
Devin and Alli had talked about marriage before. But he had always said they would wait until at least May — graduation — to get engaged. And he had feigned disinterest in the preceding months whenever the topic was brought up.
What Alli didn’t know was that her future husband had his engagement plans set up well in advance of that return trip to the Marriott.
Devin had asked Alli’s father, Craig, for permission to propose about two months earlier. Craig approved, but also gave his future son-in-law some advice: Don’t tell her mom, sisters or anyone else in the family.
Apparently, the Campbells can’t keep a secret.
He didn’t tell them, and the surprise that left Alli crying happy tears went off without a hitch.
“Thanks to Alli’s obliviousness, it was very easy to execute,” Devin said.
••••••••••
What had been a “wait until May” engagement plan has now turned into a “we’re getting married Aug. 22” sprint.
Having spent the last two years dating long distance — they see each other about once a week — Alli and Devin weren’t interested in a long engagement.
“We don’t want to spend a year and a half or two again,” she said.
“We want to get married and be with each other,” added Devin.
Just days after getting engaged, Alli was working to get the venue — Jay County Event Center — and as many vendors as possible booked before returning Monday to start her second-semester classes.
She’s expecting some stress with planning a wedding and finishing up the final semester of her undergraduate degree in public health. But she’s keeping it all in perspective.
“I really don’t want … a huge wedding,” said Alli. “I’m more concerned with the marriage, not a wedding.
“I’m really excited for the marriage part. I want the wedding to be nice and people to enjoy it, but I don’t want to be so stressed out …”
••••••••••
It was the physical attraction — “dang, she’s cute” — that first sparked Devin to talk to Alli 33 floors above the Circle City.
It developed quickly into something much more.
They discovered that they complement each other.
Alli, who will pursue a master’s degree in public health, is a planner.
“He makes me more spontaneous,” she said.
Devin, a music lover who is studying aeronautical engineering technology, is the guy who just goes with the flow.
“You help me just as much, or I’d be too lax,” he responded.
They communicate well with each other.
They have a deep trust.
And, as much as anything, they share the common bond of faith that helped bring them together at the CRU conference a couple of years ago.
“I really admire her strong faith in God,” said Devin. “That’s something that’s big to us. And also, we’re very chill. We’re both chill. We don’t overthink things. So it’s very easy to get along with each other, have fun with each other, laugh with each other.”
“That’s always something I wanted in a marriage, to have a man of God, of that character,” added Alli. “And Devin really is that person. And we were able to grow in that together and have that as a foundation, which I’m really looking forward to in a marriage.”
To the south is Lucas Oil Stadium.
There’s also Victory Field to the southwest, Military Park to the northwest, the Indiana Statehouse to the northeast and Bankers Life Fieldhouse to the southeast, among others.
Devin Nelson wasn’t looking at any of them.
He intended to. But once he saw Alli Campbell, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
••••••••••
Alli, a 2017 Jay County High School graduate and University of Indianapolis student, and Devin, who is from Fortville and attends Purdue University, were both at the Marriott for the annual Campus Crusade for Christ conference. Known as CRU, the organization is “committed to giving people everywhere the opportunity to know and experience God's love and plan for their lives” and has more than 2,000 campus ministries in the United States.
CRU is also seen as a good place to meet a boyfriend or girlfriend, and potentially future spouse, as it brings together those with a similar mindset, Alli said.
“But I was very against that,” she added. “‘I’m not here to find a man. I’m here to do the conference stuff.’”
Devin had been to previous CRU events with hopes of finding love, but he had shared Alli’s mindset heading into that post-Christmas 2017 event in Indianapolis.
“But then I was on the 33rd floor, and I was like, ‘Dang, she’s cute,’” he said.
Alli and friends Zoe Zeger and Meagan Scheeffer had headed to the 33rd floor of the Marriott for the same reason as many others. They wanted to see the view from high above the city.
Devin did too.
That’s when he saw Alli.
He wasn’t expecting anything to come of the chance encounter, but he made his move nonetheless. He stepped in between Alli and her friends and started a conversation.
“It was so awkward,” said Devin. “I stuck my head in there. I don’t know what I was doing. … And then we just started talking.”
They made small talk and then rode down the elevator. As they parted, Devin told Alli he hoped they would see each other again.
••••••••••
At a conference with an attendance of well over 1,000, seeing each other again seemed unlikely.
Also, Alli had no idea that Devin was interested in more than just chit chat.
“I was oblivious of everything,” she said. “But afterward, my two friends were like, ‘It’s so obvious that he only wanted to talk to you.’”
Some of Devin’s female Purdue friends, who had been on the elevator when Devin said goodbye, noticed as well.
“They’re girls. So they made a huge deal out of it,” he said.
Devin acknowledged that he was interested in Alli, and the girls went to work.
They asked Devin to provide them with every detail about her. (That included a stick figure drawing of a girl with a ring on her right ring finger.)
They started searching for her on social media.
They were on a mission.
As they left their room later to head to one of the conference’s sessions, they ran into a girl who was staying across the hallway. They asked her name. It wasn’t Alli.
They were disappointed. But they asked where she went to school.
That’s when the excitement came back. She was a University of Indianapolis student.
They asked the girl if she knew a fellow Greyhound named “Alli.”
Her response: “Is this the boy?!”
It was Zoe, Alli’s University of Indianapolis roommate. The connection was made.
••••••••••
Students were gathering for the CRU session. Alli was a little late, so there were already plenty of students there.
“And I walk into the session … and I’m bombarded by all his friends,” said Alli.
They asked if she remembered “Devin from the 33rd floor.” They told her Devin wanted her phone number.
“I was very overwhelmed,” Alli said.
But she gave them her number, with the caveat that she would not be initiating anything. That was up to Devin.
When Devin arrived at the session a few minutes later, one of his friends from Purdue informed him that they had located his skyline Cinderella. He didn’t believe her, at least initially.
“And I look and all five of them are huddled around talking to her,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh no. I am not ready for that already.’”
But Devin’s friend Kali Chalupnik delivered Alli’s number. He texted her later in the evening. They kept texting and spent some time together during the conference, including a late-night talk that kept them up until 5 a.m. following a New Year’s Eve party.
More texts followed as they went their separate ways after the conference, and they met in Muncie for their first date on Jan. 6, 2018. Devin didn’t waste any time. He asked Ali to be his girlfriend that night.
“I was a little overwhelmed again because it seemed really fast,” Alli said.
But she also said yes.
••••••••••
Fast forward two years.
Alli and Devin had joked about whether or not they’d ever be able to afford to stay at the Marriott again. After all, it required a key card to get to the 33rd floor.
Little did Alli know, Devin had plans.
The couple headed to Indianapolis Jan. 6 for a date to celebrate two years together. They played games at Dave and Buster’s. They went to dinner at The Eagle’s Nest, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Regency.
That’s when Devin got a phone call — two, actually, it would have been rude to answer the first time while on such a fancy date — that led the couple to meet up with his friends/accomplices Zach Roach and Lauren Monhollen. They went to the Marriott, Alli in hopes of going to the 33rd floor, Devin knowing he already had it arranged. And when Devin handed Zach his coat to hold on to while he went to the restroom, Zach slipped the ring inside its pocket.
A few minutes later, back on the 33rd floor, at the window where Devin made his first “awkward” advance, he asked Alli to be his wife.
She said yes. Again.
••••••••••
Devin and Alli had talked about marriage before. But he had always said they would wait until at least May — graduation — to get engaged. And he had feigned disinterest in the preceding months whenever the topic was brought up.
What Alli didn’t know was that her future husband had his engagement plans set up well in advance of that return trip to the Marriott.
Devin had asked Alli’s father, Craig, for permission to propose about two months earlier. Craig approved, but also gave his future son-in-law some advice: Don’t tell her mom, sisters or anyone else in the family.
Apparently, the Campbells can’t keep a secret.
He didn’t tell them, and the surprise that left Alli crying happy tears went off without a hitch.
“Thanks to Alli’s obliviousness, it was very easy to execute,” Devin said.
••••••••••
What had been a “wait until May” engagement plan has now turned into a “we’re getting married Aug. 22” sprint.
Having spent the last two years dating long distance — they see each other about once a week — Alli and Devin weren’t interested in a long engagement.
“We don’t want to spend a year and a half or two again,” she said.
“We want to get married and be with each other,” added Devin.
Just days after getting engaged, Alli was working to get the venue — Jay County Event Center — and as many vendors as possible booked before returning Monday to start her second-semester classes.
She’s expecting some stress with planning a wedding and finishing up the final semester of her undergraduate degree in public health. But she’s keeping it all in perspective.
“I really don’t want … a huge wedding,” said Alli. “I’m more concerned with the marriage, not a wedding.
“I’m really excited for the marriage part. I want the wedding to be nice and people to enjoy it, but I don’t want to be so stressed out …”
••••••••••
It was the physical attraction — “dang, she’s cute” — that first sparked Devin to talk to Alli 33 floors above the Circle City.
It developed quickly into something much more.
They discovered that they complement each other.
Alli, who will pursue a master’s degree in public health, is a planner.
“He makes me more spontaneous,” she said.
Devin, a music lover who is studying aeronautical engineering technology, is the guy who just goes with the flow.
“You help me just as much, or I’d be too lax,” he responded.
They communicate well with each other.
They have a deep trust.
And, as much as anything, they share the common bond of faith that helped bring them together at the CRU conference a couple of years ago.
“I really admire her strong faith in God,” said Devin. “That’s something that’s big to us. And also, we’re very chill. We’re both chill. We don’t overthink things. So it’s very easy to get along with each other, have fun with each other, laugh with each other.”
“That’s always something I wanted in a marriage, to have a man of God, of that character,” added Alli. “And Devin really is that person. And we were able to grow in that together and have that as a foundation, which I’m really looking forward to in a marriage.”
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