It all began with a swipe on Hinge. After a month of getting to know each other, we made it official on October 30, 2021. Fast forward to February 2023, we took a big step and moved in together. Our home is filled with love and laughter, thanks to our furry family members. We have two adorable cats, Leonidas and Gus, who joined us on Christmas 2023 and Zach has proven to be an amazing pet parent. He is also loved by my two wiener dogs who have been with us since the beginning of our journey together.

With Zach’s love and encouragement, I made the big decision to go back to school at Penn State to finish my degree in Psychology. Balancing everything hasn’t always been easy, but having Zach by my side has made all the difference. He has supported me every step of the way, and now I am officially a graduate of Penn State University! Yay!! WE ARE!

We cherish our time together, whether we're out exploring new restaurants, building intricate Lego sets, or enjoying a fun night of bowling. Some of our favorite moments together are the simple ones, like grocery shopping or making a trip to the pet store for Leo and Gus. We also love spending time at home just as much as going out. One of our favorite date nights is dragging the mattress downstairs, building a pillow fort, and having a cozy movie marathon. No matter what we’re doing, we’re just happiest when we’re together.

Our story is one of love, support, and shared adventures. From the very beginning, we’ve had a simple but meaningful way of reminding each other how much we’re loved by saying, “You’re my favorite.” It’s our way of expressing that no matter what, we choose each other every single day. As we step into this next chapter, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with all of our favorites, our friends and family who have supported us, loved us, and been part of our journey.

From our very first swipe to saying “I do” these are the moments that shaped our story

When Zach and I first matched he mentioned how he played the violin, which was definitely something that caught my attention as an opera singer. I immediately pictured us performing duets together and thought I had finally found a fellow musician. However, I quickly discovered that his musical career was mostly confined to high school orchestra and that poor violin hasn’t seen the light of day since 2012. I guess he threw in that detail just to impress me and it obviously worked. Even though he hasn't played the violin in years I’ll always think it’s sweet that he tried to strike the right chord (lol get it)

Our trip to see Creed was an unforgettable experience to say the least. And not just because of the concert. We had the best time at the show together, but everything else was a fever dream.

Warning. Karen rant: proceed with caution

First, two different restaurants somehow managed to forget to send a server to our table to the point where we didn't eat that day (I'm diabetic so that's a recipe for disaster in itself). When we finally made it to the actual concert, things got even crazier. These two guys in front of us got into a full-on fight and were punching each other in the face while their kids watched. In all of the chaos someone broke this guy’s glasses and he was so PISSED (if only he could have waited, to let creed take him higher to a place where blind men see). We couldn’t even hear what they were arguing about, but security sure could because they got kicked out immediately.

And as if that wasn’t enough, two people threw up near us, back-to-back. It was like we were in the twilight zone.

Somehow… despite ALL of that, the concert was still amazing. We always forget the chaos even happened because we were so wrapped up in having fun.

Then, when we finally made it back to the hotel to get some sleep (on empty tummies, mind you!!!), the freaking hotel catches on fire. I can not make this up. Like seriously, we went to a CREED concert, this wasn't a rave or some intense festival why is this happening. Anyways, alarms start going off and we ended up standing outside in the middle of the night, evacuated for hours.

AND to top it all off, we were supposed to visit the aquarium the next morning which was something we were both really looking forward to (there's this hippo named Button there who I LOVE), but after the night we’d had, that plan definitely didn’t make the cut.

Karen rant over

Still, despite all the chaos, we laughed through it all and made the best of it. The night might’ve been a disaster, but it somehow turned into one of our favorite memories. Because when everything goes wrong, we still have the best time, as long as we’re together!

Before planning our wedding together, we had another very important celebration to pull off which was our kitty babies birthday party. And, yes, we did throw our cats a full on celebration because THEY DESERVE IT! The guest list only included the two of us and our boys, but we still went all out! Since Leo and Gus are both half Siamese, we decided it was only appropriate to celebrate with Chinese takeout for dinner (Is that politically correct? Sorry, my bad) While we ate, the boys circled our feet like little sharks, and they were completely convinced the food was for them. We obviously got them presents because we aren't evil. We even got them a piñata that we stuffed with catnip and we watched them absolutely lose their minds. Gus rolled around in the fallout like he had discovered inner peace.

And of course we got a cake and ice cream. We enjoyed the dessert, and the cats supervised.

It was silly and perfectly us. Just a quiet night celebrating our little family, long before the big wedding day but exactly the kind of memory we’ll always love thinking back to.

Our engagement felt like something out of an old movie. We had the beautiful fall scenery rolling by, the sound of the train, and just the two of us sharing time together. Somewhere along the way, he asked the question I’ve been dreaming of, and so obviously I said yes!

In typical Bryna fashion, the only pictures I really managed to take that day were of an old telegraph pole and a cat who also happened to be the only witness to our engagement. (there was some random guy sitting on a bench while it happened but he did not notice or care which means he doesn't count!!)

So while there’s no photo of the exact moment Zach proposed, I kind of love that the memory feels timeless. And I definitely made up for it later with a photo of my ring and my engagement nails, of course!

One of the most meaningful moments of wedding planning so far has been trying on my mom’s wedding dress. My dad took these photos, and as he looked at me he teared up, seeing his youngest daughter in the dress his bride wore over 40 years ago. It was such a beautiful way to connect with my mom and the love story that came before mine. Even though I won’t be wearing her gown on the big day, putting it on reminded me of all the strength, beauty, and love she’s passed on to me. Sharing this moment felt like honoring where I come from as I step into a new chapter of my own.

Thanks to Emma's suggestion, I downloaded Hinge… and matched with Zach right away.

She's basically the reason for this whole wedding!

Thank you for being the spark that started it all. You’ll always have a special place in our story!