In February, 2020, Ben and Ally met as fate aligned through Ben's late Aunt, Melissa (Missy) Breidenstein, and his mom, Jane Carnahan. Ally had just moved across the state to Cincinnati, OH for a new job and was looking for friends. Ally met Missy at The Friendly Stop, a favorite local establishment in the historic town of Glendale, OH. They immediately hit it off and enjoyed chit chatting the night away! A few days later, when Ally's mom, Diana, was in town visiting, they ran into Missy again, and her friendly nature gave Diana a sense of comfort knowing there were good people looking out for her daughter! Feeling comfortable at the Friendly Stop, Ally stopped in again on the following Tuesday for some wings and beer. She ran into Missy again, who introduced her to her sister, Jane, who had just returned from New Mexico where she was visiting her son and daughter-in-law. They all got to chatting and Ally expressed how she really enjoyed the area but was hoping to meet people around her age to explore downtown Cincinnati. Jane mentioned she had a son around her age! Ally laughed it off nervously, but as they continued to chat the night away, Ally realized she had a lot in common with Jane's mysterious son. Specifically, when Ally asked what type of music he was into, she paused, and said, "Hmmm... well, like the Eagles!" Ally, with her love for classic rock, realized she should go out on a limb and give it a chance! She gave Jane her phone number, not expecting much to come from it.

Low and behold, just a couple days later, she received a text message from this mysterious guy saying "Hi Ally, Allie, Alli...however you spell it...I hear you met my mom...lucky you! She said you were looking to meet people to explore downtown with." They got to chatting and Ben ended up asking her out on a date for the upcoming weekend. Nervous, but excited, Ally walked down her three flights of apartment steps to meet this guy picking her up in a Mazda 3 (if you know her Dad, you know she was happy to see a Mazda!). They took off for downtown Cincinnati where Ben took her out to dinner at Nation's restaurant. Ally was amazed because the whole drive down there Ben was the perfect Cincinnati tour guide, pointing out every important building, and describing which neighborhoods were in each section of the city. Ally loves traveling and learning about new places so this was instantly a point of attraction for her. They had dinner and conversation flowed easily. They decided to head to Rhinegeist, a local Cincinnati brewery, to continue their conversation. Ben later mentioned that he knew this girl was something special when she pointed to a mural on the wall saying it reminded her of a Salvadore Dali painting. He indeed confirmed that is who it was inspired by. That night was written in the stars.

Mind you, Ally had only been living in the area for just three weeks. Fast forward through many hangout sessions and walks through Sharon Woods, it was Ally's birthday on March 9th and Ben took her out to a nice birthday dinner at Benihana's Hibachi restaurant (one of Ally's favorites). That was the night they both realized that things were getting more serious than them just being friends. A few days later, on March 12th, they made it official and became a couple!

It was a blessing that the two came together at this time, because only a week later, the entire world would shut down due to the coronavirus. They had a decision to make. Realizing their care for each other was growing deeper, they decided they would quarantine together. That risk paid off, as the love between the two grew even deeper throughout that time.

Over the years, Ben and Ally have shared endless amazing experiences together, bonded by their love of travel, music, friends, and family. In three short years, they traveled to 15 different states together, attended 34 concerts, went on many hikes and adventures in nature, and enjoyed countless meals and celebrations with friends and family. They bought their first house together in March of 2021, and have enjoyed turning it into a home. Their relationship was easy because they truly had much in common and enjoyed the time they spent together.

Fast forward again to December 21st, 2022. Ben and Ally decided that they were destined to spend their lives together and Ben got down on one knee on the Winter solstice to ask her hand in marriage. Ally, of course, said YES!

From there, they patiently waited until the right time to plan a wedding but after things just didn't seem to be aligning, they decided to make the occasion another one of their life adventures together. On April 2nd, 2024, Ben and Ally got married on the beautiful island of Guam, overlooking the clear blue waters of the bay, on top of a cliff called Two Lovers Point. It was a private ceremony with two of their close friends that were living there at the time. Ben and Ally knew in their hearts it was the right thing for them to do. They enjoyed two weeks exploring the island, going on hikes, swimming in the ocean, and exploring an underwater cave. They got chased by wild boars, explored an abandoned resort, and felt the vibrations of an offshore earthquake while enjoying martinis at the top of one the the tallest buildings on the bay. They will forever cherish their "elopement" and are grateful to have many memories and pictures to share with friends and family.

Fast forward to today. Even though Ben and Ally shared a private wedding ceremony, family and friends are of the upmost importance to them. That being said, they CANNOT WAIT to celebrate their marriage and love for each other with all of you!!