Will first noticed me during a Waconia High School softball game. (He says that’s where we met. I say it was at a Halloween party where we both showed up dressed as nurses. Either way, the universe clearly had a plan.) He asked one of our mutual friends for my Snapchat because, in his words, “the shortstop was cute.” And just like that, a sweet, silly, and completely unexpected friendship began.

We were inseparable.. prom dates, lake days, movie nights, shopping sprees... our lives intertwined effortlessly. I used to joke and call Will “my boyfriend,” but deep down, there was always something real behind those laughs. Everyone around us could see it, but we were too scared to mess with a good thing. So off I went to college, and he stayed in Waconia to finish high school.

During my freshman year, I kept coming home on long weekends just to see Will… always under the safe label of “just friends.” But something had shifted. It didn't take me long to realize that I left my favorite person back home. That summer of 2017, when I was back home and working at his graduation party, Will finally made a move. That night, we stopped pretending and decided we were going to do this thing and finally start dating.

That’s when our real adventure began.

We started our relationship long-distance: me at NDSU in Fargo, and Will at KU in Kansas (a whole nine hour drive apart). But we didn’t hesitate. We flew back and forth, squeezed in weekend visits, and showed up for each other.

Our long-distance year was full of highlights: pub crawls, Lake of the Ozarks, a KU basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse, late-night FaceTimes, and everything in between. People would ask us “How do you guys make it work?”.. I think the best answer is that we have a foundation built on years of friendship, trust, and laughter. We were each other’s person before we were each other’s partner and that made all the difference.

Then came one of the best surprises of my life: on our one-year anniversary, Will told me he had been accepted to NDSU. We were finally in the same place, and it felt like the universe was cheering us on. The next few years were a whirlwind of late-night study sessions, date nights, and campus memories we’ll never forget.

But the distance wasn’t quite done with us. Will studied abroad in Portugal during his junior year in 2020, and we found ourselves navigating two months apart with completely different time zones. I still remember the day I flew to see him, just 15 minutes into my flight, a global travel ban was announced. We landed in Portugal as the world was shutting down. Streets emptied, shops boarded up… but we were together. And somehow, even with the streets of Lisbon going quiet, cafés closing, and borders tightening, we were just happy. We laughed and joked about staying in Portugal forever. Looking back… it kind of doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

Our story had a few more chapters of long goodbyes and distance, but we always kept showing up for each other. In 2020–2021, Will finished college in Fargo while I was back in Waconia student teaching. Once again, we made it work. Weekend visits, thrifting trips to furnish his apartment, and countdowns to being together again.

Since then, we’ve built a little (and amazing) life that feels so us. We bought and renovated a townhome in Waconia, which we now rent out, and moved into our cozy home in St. Louis Park with our cat, Lyla… who runs the place (obviously).

Together, we’ve seen the world. Caribbean islands, cobblestone streets in Europe, sun-soaked beaches in Mexico, Portugal, Italy, France, Spain, Aruba, Honduras… and no matter where we go, it always feels like home when we’re together.

And on Christmas Eve, in the most magical way, Will proposed. He brought me to a glowing alley of Christmas trees outside the Hewing Hotel, and when he got down on one knee, we both were shaking. Waiting inside the Hewing were our parents, champagne in hand, ready to celebrate. I was completely surprised, but completely sure I wanted to marry this man.

Through these eight years together, we've laughed through every twist, trusted through every turn, and loved every step of the way. Something I love about our story is that it hasn’t always been easy. We’ve shown resilience, and our love continues to grow with us. We can’t wait for the next chapter and to celebrate this wild, beautiful love story with the people who have been cheering us on since day one.

Love,

Emily and Will

E&W

Wedding Day

Reception