Jared and Hanna met on March 15, 2019 while working at Chick-fil-A in Fargo, North Dakota, after being introduced by a supervisor who thought they might get along. However, the two would describe this moment very differently - Jared, with a lovestruck look in his eyes, recounts this as the moment he fell in love. Hanna laughs as she recalls how much she disliked him after they first spoke. He would tell her later how proud and confident he felt after working up the nerve to speak to her, and was shocked to find out he was not nearly as charismatic as he had hoped...

Despite an unsavory beginning riddled with political disagreements, the two became fast friends. Enriched with the opportunity to learn about someone so different than themselves, but at the same time, so similar in other ways. They bonded over a shared interest in politics, even if they were on opposing sides, and vowed that their friendship should represent a new political future in America. A country in which you did not only debate acrimoniously from across a debate stage, or a campaign, but have a respectful discussion across a coffee table.

Jared and Hanna's friendship continued to grow and deepen, but opportunity struck for each of them in different ways, which led them on different directions in life quite literally. Jared had graduated from high school and was preparing to head 3 hours north to Bemidji State University, while Hanna was still in North Dakota, gearing up for an intense cycle of college applications. Both suspected that their friendship would not last the distance, or the severe restrictions in time. To both of them, the future of their "best friendship" was uncertain.

By some miracle their friendship not only persisted, but strengthened. Jared, in between his full-time schedule as a student and on-campus job, made time to speak with Hanna often. Hanna was so inspired by their friendship and how it had monumentally shifted her perspective, wrote about their unlikely friendship in her Harvard essay. She justified this because Jared was just a friend! She would never write about a boyfriend because relationships end, but friends are forever. And Jared would never be her boyfriend, right?

Hanna was still reeling from a breakup with her high school boyfriend, and all the anxieties of the college application cycle which was slowly reaching an end, the world shut down in March of 2020. Suddenly, their friendship - which had felt far enough apart at three hours away - felt even further when the pandemic prevented them from meeting in-person. But, they took advantage of the emerging technologies from the pandemic. And used them to celebrate their achievements, like when Hanna got into Harvard after writing her essay about their friendship.

In August of 2020, those measly 150 miles, that had felt like so far originally, expanded by a 10-fold when Hanna arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts to start her first year at Harvard. Jared felt certain that their friendship would come to an end, as she balanced her studies, but instead, it grew. They started "Spooky Saturdays" in which they watched a scary movie virtually each Saturday in October, and they both voted for President of the United States for the first time, creating a fun election night tradition to distract them from waiting for the outcome.

The next sixteen months passed without much change. Jared was head over heels in love with Hanna. Hanna was not. But, in March of 2022, Jared visited Hanna on-campus for the first time, and they went to Salem together. When he left for the airport at 4:00am, she reflected that his departure felt like the world got two shades darker, as if the color had been sapped away when he left. She had never before noticed how much brighter she felt when she was with him, and realized that her campus would never feel the same to her again. Could she be in love?

After years of unrequited love, Jared decided that it was time for him to give up so he could focus on the next steps in his life after his college graduation. Wary that she might feel forced to be with him, he did not give her a choice - but rather informed her that he was accepting his fate. Hanna did not like this. Suddenly, when he was almost gone, she realized she didn't think she could live without him. Jared was doubtful - he'd been there for years. He said that if she was serious in a few weeks, they would go on one date and see how it felt. They set it for May 21, 2022.

Their first date had been awful. Hanna wore the wrong shoes, Jared made the wrong reservation, and they both hated their food. Yet, they still went on a second to paint pottery together. Hanna planned that one - it was much more organized. But, despite dating, they were not in a relationship. Jared promised he would ask her but wanted to make sure she was still serious. He was sure that she would change her mind. But on July 15, 2022, mere days before she left to spend her summer in Italy, he asked her to be his girlfriend at a beloved restaurant. She said yes.

Only a few days after officially starting their relationship, Hanna went to Italy, intending to spend the summer there. From the moment she arrived at the airport, everything went wrong. She almost missed her flight, but flew to Minneapolis, and then to Paris, with no spot on a connecting flight to Italy. Then, they lost her luggage, denied her a seat on the connecting flight, and she was stuck in Paris, alone in a hotel for the first time ever. The only thing that made her feel better was Jared. So, on July 17, 2022, she told him she loved him for the first time.

Their relationship remained strong through the summer, the autumn, and the spring, but it also took on a new aspect, as Hanna decided to convert to the Catholic Church and asked Jared to be her sponsor. He agreed, and this decision brought them so close together. They had read the Bible together, prayed for one another and with one another, and had many spiritual conversations. He helped her through the conversion process and was with her in-person when she was officially welcomed home into the Catholic Church on April 8, 2023.

From the moment Hanna said yes to their first date, she knew it would lead them to the altar. Jared, who was not very good at surprises, told her he intended to visit her in Washington, D.C. "around June 15." Hanna figured out that he was proposing, and challenged him to do something that would keep her surprised. Jared planned a multi-location scavenger hunt across D.C. with clues to meaningful locations. She did not know at what point he was proposing. On June 15, 2023, Jared proposed to Hanna in front of the Lincoln Memorial. She said yes!

The year after they got engaged was filled with big moments - Jared started his dual-degree program for law school and Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas and continued working at the MN Senate, Hanna wrote her thesis and graduated from Harvard, then started working in her dream job for Rise, and they signed a lease. On June 19, 2024 they moved into their perfect apartment in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. Together, they furnished their warm and cozy new home for themselves and their three cats: Grace, Pumpkin, and Nutmeg.

As Jared and Hanna's wedding grew closer, the health of Hanna's mom, Nancy, who was sick, worsened. Knowing that she might not be there for their wedding, they planned a mock wedding celebration to occur on February 15, 2025, to serve both as a six month celebration countdown and a wedding rehearsal where they shortened an entire wedding morning, ceremony, and party into a few hours for Nancy to participate in, in the comfort of her own home. She passed away peacefully three weeks later. Rest in Peace, Nancy.

The most beautiful thing about Jared and Hanna's love story is that it is a work in progress. They don't know how many chapters are left to be written, but are hoping to find out through a long, happy lifetime together. Hopefully, the next big chapter of their life will be at their wedding on August 15, 2025. They are set to tie the knot at the church they first attended on their first date, where they are now regular parishioners. If you're reading this as an invited guest, they hope you will help them write this next chapter and celebrate their Love Story.