We had a chance meeting that was built out of our mutual love of Carolina basketball. Dana and her best friend (and bridesmaid!) Dani had scored "Phase 1" tickets to the Carolina/Duke game their senior year, but the catch was you still had to wait in line all. day. long. to get the best seats available. Connor and his friends from business school also scored phase 1 tickets and were willing to stand in line to get seats in the risers, basically on the floor of the gym. Dana and Dani settled in for a long wait with snacks and a game of Go Fish. That was when Connor (who was sitting on the ground next to Dana in line) tapped Dana on the shoulder and asked if he could join their game. For the next 4-5 hours, our groups merged and we played countless card games, painted up for the game together, and became fast friends. Dani even shared her coveted secret signal for the game "kemps" with Connor, thinking she'd never see him again (to this day, Connor still won't tell Dana what the signal is).

Once we were let inside, we decided to stay together and all watch the game. There were still hours to wait, so Dani dutifully distracted herself while Dana and Connor began to talk. It wasn't until we both realized we were moving to Richmond (Connor for work, Dana for grad school) at the end of the summer that the sparks started flying. We spent the whole night together cheering on the Heels and ultimately defeated Duke. Thank goodness we won, because otherwise Dana and Connor likely never would have exchanged numbers and started talking. 4 years later, a new city, new dog, new jobs, a home, and countless more Carolina games, we are excited to walk into this next phase of life together: MARRIAGE!