If you're looking for a story that exemplifies fate and perseverance, then the creation of Devyn and Steven's love story has exactly that.

Let's take you back to the start of 2020, where Devyn just completed her collegiate soccer career and was months away from finishing her Bachelors degree in Kinesiology at CMU, while Steven was working for a Non-profit organization, called Fleece & Thank You, in Novi, MI. These two strangers being in different parts of the state and being in different parts of their careers for sure meant that there could never be a possible connection right?? Wrong! And that's all thanks to the infamous Tinder dating app.

One day in early January, Steven was scrolling through Tinder, until he saw this beautiful and athletic girl. Immediately reading everything about her, he ultimately swiped right! One thing in particular about Devyn's Tinder bio was that she put her Snapchat username in there and Steven, knowing that he had to meet this girl, added her on that platform as well. To this day, we have no clue if Devyn ever swiped right on Steven, but Snapchat was his only hope. According to Devyn, she saw countless guys add her on Snap and she instantly regretted the decision to put her username in her Tinder bio, deleting all the guys who added her.... except one!

You guessed it, Steven was the last one standing here! On January 17th, she added Steven back. Communication started with Steven reaching out to her with the famous quote, "Hi! I think I got your snap from one of the dating apps lol so I'm not trying to be weird, but I thought you were really pretty so thanks for adding me :)" That of course worked like a charm and the two started talking almost daily.

After a couple weeks, Steven was ready to be all in for her, but Devyn had her reservations. Ultimately leading to a week of little to no communication at all. Steven knew she was the one that quickly and needed to make a statement on how serious he was to make sure Devyn knew his true intentions. The timing of Valentine's Day came into play perfectly because Steven thought of the idea of sending her flowers. Without ever actually meeting in person, this was a risky move but he absolutely felt like it was the right move. So, he did! Sent her a bouquet of roses and lilies to be delivered to her house at CMU around 5pm. However, as fate would have it, she went out with friends that night for a “Galentines Dinner” and wasn't home to accept the delivery. Don't worry though, Steven let her know about this surprise and she was able to go to the flower shop and get them the next day!

Once Devyn received the flowers, she showed them to all of her CMU roommates wondering what to do next. After a couple of hours of debating and discussing with her roommates, Devyn finally got the courage to FaceTime Steven and thank him for the surprise that made her day.

From this day on, Steven proved to Devyn how invested he was into meeting her and wanting to form an amazing relationship! As the two figured out ways to be with each other, there was a glaring issue staring them both in the face, and that was Devyn was planning on spending her spring in Italy studying abroad for her last semester of Undergrad. They both knew it would be tough to start a relationship, only to make it long distance right from the start…

Here is where fate steps in and makes an impact so large that you can only marvel on everything played out. So, Devyn and Steven made it official on March 14th, 2020 right before heading up to MSU to meet some of Steven’s cousins and friends, and if you need a history reminder, the first major COVID shutdown occurred on March 16th, 2020. How is this important you ask? Well, that week, Devyn's plans to study abroad were cancelled and the two were basically forced to spend all day, every day, with each other's families due to COVID limitations. This launched their amazing love story into action and was the building blocks for what you see today!

So many memories have been made since. From pool parties and game nights at the Taraskavage household, to bonfires with the neighbors, to taking their first trip together to Traverse City, to adopting their dog, to going on family vacations to Au Gres and Cabo San Lucas, to celebrating passing exams with classmates up at CMU, to buying a house together, there has been an abundance of special moments so far.

Currently, Steven is working from home in Saint Johns as a Financial Analyst and taking care of their dog, Cash, while Devyn is in the mist of completing her Doctoral Degree in Physical Therapy by completing her final clinical rotation at Corewell Health - Royal Oak. The two are patiently waiting for Devyn to graduate this May, so they can start their lives together in Saint Johns, MI!

We can't wait to celebrate our big day with you in September!