July 16, 2022, we were both at a wedding between two of our childhood friends (shoutout to Andrew and Anna, now groomsman and bridesmaid). We didn’t know each other, had never crossed paths, and both of us would have been perfectly content to just party the night away.

We were seated at the same table for the reception. There were six other people around us, but as the night went on they seemed to fade away, and it became more and more like our first date.

Neither of us knew then that we had just met our future husband, or wife, and that both of us had just met our new best friend; and as it turns out, we wouldn’t know for quite some time after.

We hadn’t spoken in nearly a year when Matthew decided to reach out to Elizabeth one Saturday morning the next July. We couldn’t have timed a text any more perfectly as Elizabeth and her family were headed up to Norfolk to go on a cruise on the ship Matthew could see from his apartment window. After a year without contact, the anticipation for the first date quickly built as we texted back and forth throughout the cruise. When we finally met at the pier, one year to the day from our chance encounter at the wedding, we could hardly believe our luck.

Our first date, for real this time, started a weekly tradition of Mexican and margs. After lunch, we hit the mini golf links and Matthew earned his nickname amongst our friends as “putt putt boy.” We jammed out to all of Elizabeth’s dank early 2000s hits on the three hour ride from Norfolk to Benson, to prepare us for much longer rides of nonstop Taylor Swift.

When we finally arrived and had to say our first painful goodbye, Elizabeth’s roommate - Brooke, promoted to bridesmaid- called it after one look: “you guys are going to end up together.”

The summer months flew by like a dream, and by mid-August, we had already fallen for each other, even though neither of us were quite sure when the relationship started in earnest or how to categorize it. With each date, we grew closer and closer together - a beach weekend and concert with our friends, and several 5K races. Our first “I love you” and “I love you too” came with plenty of tears and kisses in the car one cloudy November day. By the time the holiday season came, we couldn’t bear to spend any time apart, and we knew that this was built to last forever.

We decided to start our forever together in our backyard one Saturday morning in February, sealed with a ring and a kiss, surrounded by our dogs. The video, shot clandestinely on Matthew’s iPhone and nearly toppled by our Shih Tzu Minnie, is ours to keep, but our story is now yours as well.

We are so excited for you to join us on this momentous day. You each hold a special place in our lives and in our hearts, and we want to thank you for being part of this celebration of our faith, love, and new life together.