It was the summer of 2018. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their fairytale wedding, the Washington Capitols had just won their first Stanley Cup, no one wore masks, and bars were packed with people.

In one particular bar - Union Pub on Capitol Hill - a disproportionate number of Georgians gathered after a reception in honor of the University of Georgia. Mallie, then a student and UGA still and in DC interning for Senator Johnny Isakson, was hanging out with friends after working the event. Tommy had been working in DC for a couple of years by then and joined some coworkers for some drinks after work.

From across the bar, Tommy saw Mallie and turned to his friend Nick, saying "Look at her. She's cute." Nick replied, "That's trouble."

Never had anyone been so right.

Tommy, pretending to close his tab, asked if Mallie wanted anything before he closed out, and before you know it, they got to talking about the best pizza in DC, going to the MGM Grand to gamble until the sun comes up, and Mallie eventually sitting on the Supreme Court (not sure how that one is going...). Before getting pulled away by her friends, Mallie gave Tommy her number and a few days later he asked out on a date to see the monuments around DC lit up at night.

Little did Tommy know - as Nick had put it - how much trouble he had gotten himself into. From the start, Mallie and Tommy knew there was something special. That date led to a summer full of adventures in DC, visiting each other everywhere in-between the 600 miles between Georgia and DC while Mallie finished school, Mallie moving to DC, living through a pandemic, moving in together and bringing our dog Herschel to DC, and getting engaged at the site of their first date on June 30, 2021.

Mallie and Tommy have grown into true partners over the years together. They cannot wait to have everyone celebrate and be a part of their story as it continues.