Fiancés on the field: Jade and Preston’s engagement story

While people are starting to cozy up in flannel pajamas and watch Hallmark holiday romantic comedies, one Aggie couple got their rom-com come to life. On Nov. 23, Preston Howe proposed to Jade Hatch on the football field at Maverik Stadium right before the last USU football home game.  

According to the couple, Hatch was completely surprised by the proposal on the field, which was sponsored by S.E. Needham Jewelers.  

Howe shared that he and Hatch were scrolling on Instagram when they ran into an ad showcasing a sponsorship from S.E. Needham for an engagement ring. Unbeknownst to the other, they both filled it out.  

“One of the questions was, ‘Would you be willing to propose on the field?,’” Howe said.
I was like, ‘Sure, what the heck, yeah. We’re not going to win it. We’ll click ‘Yes’ on that one.’”  

S.E. Needham called him about a month later and alerted him that he won. Howe then had two weeks to get everything sorted out for the proposal.  

“I was going to go with her to Virginia for Christmas — getting the blessing there from her dad,” Howe said. “But then we got the message from S.E. Needham and Utah State that we’d won the ring engagement thing.” 

Howe shared even though this somewhat threw a wrench in his plan, he figured out a way to make everything work.  

“I was like, ‘I’m already so in love with this girl. Why would I wait two months to get engaged?,’” Howe said. “It just so happened that both of [Hatch’s parents] happened to be in town that weekend, so I drove out to Vernal to go talk to them and got the blessing.”  

The proposal itself was staged as part of a fake game on the field. Howe and Hatch were tasked with unwrapping empty boxes under the guise they contained merch, and a decoy couple also participated. Hatch shared the fake couple had never actually met before, and she and Howe joked that them participating in the engagement would possibly jumpstart a new relationship.   

According to Howe, he felt excited and a bit nervous proposing on the field.  

 “I was surprisingly calm until, I think, we walked onto the field and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s make or break time, I guess,’” Howe said. “It’s kind of a haze for me, but I took the knee, and I couldn’t hear anything, like it was just her. I don’t think I can describe how it felt, in a way. I never felt that before, but it felt just amazing.” 

The crowd was cheering as Hatch said, “Yes.” She shared her thoughts as the proposal happened.  

“I had no idea,” Hatch said. “I thought we were playing a game like they told me.” 

Hatch and Howe unwrapped several empty boxes as part of the game, which made Hatch increasingly confused.  

“I was like, ‘Why are these empty, there’s just, like, paper,’” Hatch said. “And he pulled out a box. And I immediately look at him, and I’m like, ‘What is going on?’” 

Hatch accepted the proposal and shared that Howe ensured both of their families were there on the side of the field to watch.  

 Howe is a student at USU studying mechanical engineering, and Hatch recently transferred to Weber State from USU to become a dental hygienist. The lovebirds met at USU in a tennis class but started dating at the end of that semester.  

 “I had a crush on her the whole tennis class,” Howe said. “I think we decided at the end of the class to go get lunch or breakfast together as a tennis group because it was so fun.” 

 Howe shared she then asked to sit by him and flirted, which he didn’t recognize right away. 

According to Hatch, the crush was mutual. 

“I told my friend on the way there — I was like, ‘This boy is cute,’ so she made me sit next to him,” she said.  

According to the couple, they talked a lot that day. Hatch said she was disappointed he didn’t make a move, but she texted him after the meal, and they quickly set up a date. Howe’s proposal came 10 months later after a bit of long distance from Utah to Virginia and a slightly shorter long distance from Ogden to Logan.  

Hatch shared they fell in love throughout their relationship, and she fell more and more each day, even through the difficult times.  

“Our first date was so, so good, and he just kept up the effort the whole time,” Hatch said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this kid is literally so cool and so awesome — so handsome.’ I don’t know, I think it just slowly grew the whole time.” 

Howe shared that one moment that cemented Hatch as the girl he would marry was when he invited her over in the wintertime to build an igloo. He said he had done a bit of research but hadn’t realized the amount of work it would take to build the snow structure. However, they had an amazing time, even with close to twelve hours of work. 

“We just started dating maybe a month or two before, and it was so fun,” Howe said. “I think that was kind of the moment for me. That’s kind of what I want in a partner. Somebody who not only works really hard, but it’s so enjoyable to be with them and working. Someone who makes hard things fun but also makes everything just better and more beautiful.” 

The couple also shared attributes they love about each other.  

“He’s a hard worker,” Hatch said. “He’s very smart. He lives with his family, and so I get to see him around his family all the time. He just wants everyone to be happy and takes care of everyone and is so sweet and wants to make everyone laugh and just brings a light to everything. Everyone’s just so excited to have him there.”  

Howe added what he loves about Hatch.  

“Doesn’t matter if you’re the President of the United States or you’re some random guy on the street, Jade’ll make anybody feel like they’re the most important person in the world,” Howe said. “I get to be around her all the time, so you can imagine how good I feel. But she’s a lifter. I’ve never seen her tear down or take apart.” 

 Even though the couple is newly engaged, they shared what they are looking forward to with wedding planning.   

“I think the whole thing’s going to be fun,” Hatch said. “I’m excited for everything except for invites. Everything else I think will be very fun, all the decorations, what we’re doing and everything. And he has opinions and actually will help me plan the whole thing for something that we both love.”  

Howe added that he hopes everyone who comes has fun.  

“I think I just want it to be our day, obviously, but I want it to be fun for everybody,” Howe said. “We’re going to have tons of fun. Like, we’ll make it worth people’s time.”  

When asked how he feels knowing that he’s happily engaged, Howe said, “I can finally breathe. I’m so happy.”  

Photo by Dane Johnson. Preston Howe proposes to Jade Hatch on-field during the USU vs SDSU football game at Maverik Stadium on Nov 23, 2024.