Her Take

We met at U of I while living in the same apartment complex, exactly one floor apart from each other. Our dads had both told us the same thing: "A guy I know from work has a son/daughter in that building." Yes, our dads knew each other from work. We didn't officially cross paths until November of that year when the internet in our apartment went out and I (Annie) had to go down one floor to ask if we could borrow our neighbors' internet connection for the night. Thankfully, they said yes. It wasn't for another few weeks until we realized who the other one was and all of the pieces started to fit: 1.) You gave me your internet password 2.) Our dads know each other and might be at a Bulls game together right now 3.) I'm sorry I called the police and party patrol on you that one time (ok ok, a few times) for playing your music too loudly (our ceiling fan was shaking and you lived below me). [Spoiler alert: I'm not that sorry. It was a Tuesday night, and we'd already asked nicely.] From there, a friendship was formed, full of nights out, pranks on each others' apartments, and a whole lot of laughs. We've since graduated, explored Chicago, traveled across the US and beyond, bringing us to our engagement in August of 2019 and wedding this year. We're so excited to celebrate our wedding with each of you and can't wait to see you on August 14!

His Take

It was a crisp fall evening in Champaign, Illinois. After a workout at ARC I was in the kitchen of my Johnstowne apartment cooking an ever-reliable post workout meal of tilapia when I heard a knock at the door. Though I was closest, I asked roommate and best man, Brian Pabst to answer so I could continue cooking. Pabst opened the door to two girls who we had never seen before. Like any college aged male, my attention quickly diverted from tilapia to the new guests. In particular, the redhead. The girls needed our internet password as their router had gone out. We were happy to oblige. As my tilapia began to burn in the pan I continued to chat with the redhead. Eventually as smoke began to fill the kitchen I realized my mistake and rushed to move the pan off the burner. The tilapia was burnt to a crisp. The girls said goodbye and thanked us for the password. As I sat down to eat dinner that night my mind was not on the charred tilapia, but rather the girl from Apt 319. I had to learn more about her….A decade and many memories, laughs, and adventures later we are thrilled to celebrate our wedding with family and friends.