Just as you would expect from any modern day love story, our story started on an online dating app. I had just moved to Lincoln, NE in January of 2020 to start my first job out of college. After watching the government take more than its fair share of my first few paychecks, I realized my best shot at catching any sort of tax break was to get married. At this same time, Megan was in her junior year of college at the University of Nebraska. She was just about fed up with asking potential mates whether they drove a red tractor or a green tractor, so it's safe to say we each had a good reason to download Tinder.

After a few days of messaging and talking Megan into going on a date with me, the world started to shut down thanks to the pandemic. Megan fled back to her hometown of Elmhurst, IL with the hope that things would shortly go back to normal. Despite things only getting more chaotic over the next few weeks, I convinced Megan to come back to Lincoln so we could go on the date she had promised.

When I went to pick her up for the first time, Megan was waiting outside with a six pack in hand. She had gone to Wisconsin before coming back to Lincoln just to buy me a pack of Spotted Cow, still my favorite beer today. A month later, we got to celebrate my 23rd birthday together. Megan had made me a cake, and in her typical ridiculous fashion, had the idea to draw a rocket ship on it with icing. It didn't take long for me to realize Megan was one of the most enjoyable and thoughtful people I had ever met.

After about six months of dating, we got the opportunity to meet each other's family. I was sent on a work trip to California in the same part of town that I grew up in, so Megan flew out for a weekend to meet my parents and sisters. Megan claims that this was the most nervous she's ever been for anything in her life, and amusingly, I think that's true. Never had seen my outgoing, charismatic, comical girlfriend be so shy, reserved, and downright clammy. Fortunately Megan has come out of her shell my since then, now to the point that she hosts dance parties in the family living room. Megan always thought that the last thing my three sisters would want is another sister, but all the Berrys can agree that Megan is the part of the family we didn't know we were missing.

The first time I got to meet Megan's family was for Thanksgiving. Megan wasn't quite as nervous this time, but again was far more nervous than me. As you might expect if you know the Boyles, her family began poking fun at me from the second I walked through the door. After expertly deflecting the first few friendly jabs and having a clutch performance in the board game Code Names, I started to really enjoy myself around her family. Getting roasted in the family group chat is still a normal occurrence, but I feel like I have already become part of the Boyle Clan.

Megan graduated college in the summer of 2021 and moved to Delaware shortly afterward to start her career in finance. We did long-distance for just under a year before I took a job in Annapolis and moved to the East Coast. Once we were in closer proximity to each other, I started to look at engagement rings. I spent hours learning the ins and outs of the diamond industry, and after a few months of tireless searching, I had the perfect one picked out.

Engagement planning was underway by the end of summer in 2022. After a nervous phone call with her father one Sunday night, I had the green light to ask my best friend to marry me. Megan isn't one for surprises and she made it more than a little difficult to put a plan together. Nevertheless, I had somehow coordinated with her sister and a few of her friends to be there when I proposed, all without Megan having any idea.

I took Megan on a date to Longwood Botanical Gardens, which had become a pretty typical date spot for us except this time there was a ring box discreetly stuffed in my sock. After anxiously wandering around the gardens until I spotted her sister hiding behind a column, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Fortunately for the sake of this story, she said yes and her sister and friends came rushing in for an embrace. Megan was instantly teary eyed as soon as she realized what was happening, and later confessed she didn't get a good look at the ring until we got home that night. After making a few phone calls to share the news with family, we went to dinner where I had a larger group of our friends waiting to celebrate with us. I don't think Megan stopped smiling during that dinner and everyone at the table could feel her sense of pure happiness.

Wedding planning started immediately following the engagement. I was pretty clueless about how the whole wedding planning operation worked, but luckily Megan had a clear idea of what she wanted. Despite being in the middle of planning a wedding, we started to talk more seriously about where we wanted to be long term. We realized that Wilmington and Annapolis just wouldn't be the ideal place to start a family, so we decided to look for work elsewhere. After a stressful few weeks of interviews and traveling to new places, I decided to take a job in Huntsville, AL. I moved away in the spring of 2023, and Megan was able to land a job shortly afterward. Megan joined me in the Rocket City in the fall and we have very much enjoyed being together in the same city again.

So after seemingly touching all four corners of the Earth, we will be starting our married life in Alabama. We have been through a lot life in our first four years together, and we have kept each other smiling and laughing the entire way. We are incredibly excited to start the next chapter of our lives together, and can't wait to celebrate with you all at the wedding.