KATIE

"One freezing January night in 2010, when we were still in our undergraduate careers at SUNY Potsdam, my friend Jonathan Wibben and his housemates were hosting an after-party. Beginning at midnight, the members and friends of the band slowly started rolling into Jon's house at 5 State Street. I wasn't able to go to the show beforehand, but knowing that my friends were all going to Jon's that night, I went to the house straight from my dorm."

SCOTT

"I arrived, shivering, having left my coat at home to avoid losing it at a house party. Some of my friends from the previous venue were heading to the same place. I joined them and we restarted the festivities. Not long into the night, I saw a girl standing in her socks in the middle of the living room. I asked a friend about who she was and what she did at Potsdam. Then found myself standing next to her."

KATIE:

"I noticed this guy standing to my left holding a red solo cup. Usually when I went to parties at Jon's, I knew almost everyone in attendance. I had never seen him before. I don't know if I believe in love in first sight, but I will say that when I saw him, I immediately turned to the girlfriends to my right (Erica and Emma) and, with eyes wide, said '…who is that?' Apparently, Scott had already asked a friend of his the same question about me.

(ALSO, to respond to Scott's previous entry: I AM POLITE AND ALWAYS TAKE MY SHOES OFF WHEN GOING TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE)"

SCOTT:

"And so it began. I introduced myself and asked what her name was as well. Then I asked only the easiest of questions that can be asked at first introductions, without judgment and without being awkward. 'So, do you want to play beer pong?'"

KATIE:

"It was like someone has just proposed to me. I tried to stay cool in my response ('Sure!'), when inside, I was jumping up and down. I am sure that I gave a look to Erica and Emma that said 'I AM DYING' before I stood next to him to play some pong."

SCOTT:

"As expected, we were talking and laughing so much the whole time that we lost both games horribly. Then we dug deep and focused, annihilating our opponents in the last round. Needless to say, this was foreshadowing. Following our victory, we continued chatting, getting to know each other until the party began to wind down. I didn't have my coat, which allowed me to help Katie search for hers and asked 'Could I walk you home?'"

KATIE:

"When we asked each other about our majors and our hobbies, the responses were basically, 'I'm an opera singer' and 'I'm a rock climber.' This sort of cracked me up. But we had a great time getting to know each other, and when he asked if he could walk me home, I had to let him know that (in true Katiebeck fashion), I had promised one of my gay best friends that I'd walk home with him, because we lived in the same building. Scott was okay with that, and still led me downstairs by the hand to help me find my coat in the mudroom. My friends saw this happen and were very intrigued." :)

SCOTT:

"We walked outside after exchanging numbers. I should have brought my coat: it was bone chillingly cold. 'Thank god I don't have to walk her home,' I thought after the fact. We walked behind Vinny as he let us trail behind until we had to part ways at the corner of Bay and State Street."

KATIE:

"As we were about to part ways, we both slowed down our pace in order to say goodnight. Even though we had only known each other a couple of hours, we were holding hands and swinging our arms, probably a result of the combination of happiness and slight intoxication. I told Scott it was really great to meet him. He said the same thing back to me. Then, to my surprise, he asked, 'Can I kiss you?' I was almost as shocked at the question as I was at my own response when I, almost immediately responded 'Sure!' The word had barely left my lips when he kissed me."

SCOTT:

"The end!"

~~~

Just kidding. But, the story of how we met is one of our favorites.

We started "officially dating" a few months later, after a really adorable surprise date which involved a trip to the Birch Bark Bookshop in the middle of the woods of Parishville NY, followed by a short hike down to Allens Falls.

Six years later, we've endured multiple years of long-distance dating, embarked on beautiful trips around the northeast (mostly in our beloved Adirondacks), spent time with old friends and made new friends, and took an amazing trip together across the country to move to Los Angeles.

We've been engaged for almost two years now, after Scott got down on one knee in my mom's family's house in Lake Placid where we were vacationing for a few days after my 24^th birthday. It was a true surprise, and I have never been so happy.

Now, having moved to the west coast and having tried desperately multiple times to secure a wedding venue, we FINALLY have a date. It seems too good to be true, but we've been so ready for this for so long. We can't wait to commit to each other as husband and wife, surrounded by our friends and family. It will be an honor and a joy to share it with those we love most!

Get ready for an awesome autumn day filled with love, family, friends, and fun surrounded by the beautiful foliage season in Vermont. See you then!

-Katie (and Scott)