Jonathon and I met for the first time at Johnson & Wales Miami during our orientation. Jonathon likes to remind me that our first meeting happened by chance, and that what I thought was a normal interaction was actually a completely different experience for him. He had (allegedly) come up to me and asked for help reading his schedule, which, of course, I gave no second thoughts about. He, on the other hand, was so impressed with himself that he asked "the cute girl" to have a chat with him. We laugh about it now because after we started dating, he had to remind me that this interaction happened at all. I didn't even remember that it was him!

After orientation, Jonathon and I ended up in the same culinary lab together. It was our first lab at university, and we were both nervous, but we found comfort in each other. He was a true gentleman and insisted on helping me with throwing out my garbage and getting produce from the fridge....which I accepted, gladly, of course. It didn't take long before I was gushing about him on the phone to my parents, who knew before long that I would be calling him my boyfriend.

Our first date was at our favorite local pizza stop: Evio's. I honestly don't remember what I ordered, I just know that I was so nervous to be on the date that I probably forgot what kind of pizza I liked at all. Obviously I didn't scare him away at this point, so it worked out for me.

From there, we spent just about every waking moment together. Our friends at school nicknamed us "the lovebirds" because we were always together. I showed him my love for strong coffee and I quickly converted him to Cafe Bustelo. We enjoyed guava pastries on the beach and we took walks in the nearby state park. Then, COVID hit.

We were forced to put our time together on hold because we were kicked out of our dorms and had to go home. Me, back to my parents home in Lake Orion, him, back to his mother's apartment in Tampa. We still had FaceTime dates, but obviously not the same. By the time the summer rolled around, I had somehow convinced my parents to drive me down to Tampa, pick him up, and drive all the way back to Michigan so we could spend the summer together (thanks, Dad). We spent the summer riding bikes, cooking for our parents, and enjoying our weekly Takeout Tuesday.

We finished our next year at JWU Miami, and made the decision to transfer to JWU Providence due to the campus in Miami closing. We made the most of our last year in Miami by going to the beach as much as possible.

We started our Junior year in JWU Providence, my first time on the East Coast and Jonathon's first time living up north. This year was tough on the academics, and it was a huge adjustment from the Freshman and Sophomore culinary labs we had the years before. However, we did it together. Jonathon experienced his first snow and I had my first bowl of authentic New England Clam Chowder.

Our Senior year, we were required to do an internship for our degree. We made the (bold) choice of doing our internship together, as we did everything up to that point. Each year, we planned our classes so we could take them together. This was no different. We chose UMass Dining in Amherst, MA as our internship site. While there, we learned a lot about leadership, teamwork, and of course...food! We made some good friends, as well.

After our internship, we finished our last semester at JWU Providence before graduating (with honors!!) in the spring of 2023. We had finally done it! After graduation, we decided to continue our employment with UMass Dining and move to Amherst. We got our first apartment together, picked out a couch, moved all the furniture in, the whole nine yards.

That fall, Jonathon took me to Boston to celebrate our four year anniversary. My parents came up to visit that same weekend, and we spent the day at the aquarium before walking along the harbor. Somehow, I was completely, utterly, and totally surprised when Jonathon got down on one knee in front of the water. My parents, having known this was happening for months, happily filmed the biggest surprise that I will ever experience. I was so surprised, in fact, that the only thing that I could come up with to say was, "woah!" I think you all know what my answer was....

Since then, we have decided to move back to Michigan. Moving and getting married all in the same year might have been an overwhelming choice, but we are so excited to be closer to our families and continue to grow our story. Our relationship is based on togetherness, our mutual love for food, and enjoying the small things in life. Without Jonathon by my side throughout all these years, I think that my path would have gone in a totally different direction. I am so grateful to have him by my side every day.

So, now you have our story! From the bride's perspective, at least.