Joel and I met at college when we were both 19 years old. Our sophomore year, we both worked for our university’s student newspaper, became friends, then more than friends, and officially started dating one week before we got sent home because of COVID-19.

The first five months of our relationship were spent doing long-distance, with him in Chicago and me in Orlando. I've never been more excited to go back to school than I was our first semester of our junior year.

Fast forward two years—we both graduated in May 2022 and I followed him up to Chicago with no job or plan, just lots of love and trust in God that this was the best move for our future.

And we're so glad I did. The last two years have been filled with navigating real adulthood together—finding and losing jobs, moving into our first apartments, paying bills, making new friends, discovering our favorite coffee shops and restaurants, and building our life together in Chicago. We got engaged on November 26, 2024 after spending Thanksgiving with my family in Florida, and the rest is history!

If you’re reading this, thank you for being a part of our story.

Love, J&T

J&T

Wedding Day