Once upon a time, in a land far far away (Albany), Marielle and her best friend, Brenna, sat on the couch of 811 Madison gossiping about the night ahead of them. It was a Tuesday, and Tuesdays only meant one thing… “Dollar Beer Tuesdays” at Washington Tavern, AKA WTs. There were only 8 “Dollar Beer Tuesdays” remaining of their senior year and they were going to make each and every one of them count.

Brenna: “I have this guy that I think you would like. Every time I see him, I can’t think of who he reminds me of and I finally realized it was you. Would you want me to introduce you?

Marielle: “Eh. Sure. Whatever”

“Dollar Beer Tuesdays” commenced and anyone who knows WTs, knows the WTs lines. As Marielle waited patiently, Brenna found a way to skip the line leaving Marielle in the dust.

Marielle receives a text from Brenna:

Brenna: “I’m with Woolf, I’m with Woolf. Where are you? Skip the line!”

……

Brenna: “Hello, are you almost in?, Woolf is with me. I got him”

…….

15 Minutes later

Angry, sober, and in need of 5 dollars worth of beer, Marielle found her way to the bar, gets two drinks (one for each hand), turns around and is face to face with Brenna with a guy who is wearing a forward baseball cap and a charming smile.

Andrew: “Hey, I’m Woolf. Nice to meet you”

Marielle: “Hey.” *not in the mindset to meet a guy let alone speak to anyone because Marielle was still mad that Brenna left her on line*

Andrew walks away

Now, you may be thinking that this does not sound like a romantic fairytale ending as every "Once Upon a Time" story typically ends in. This was not love at first sight, but it was love at second sight.

Little did Marielle know, Andrew thought her rude and standoff-ish behavior was cool… well he might have used other words but we will keep those words off the internet. Later that week, Andrew, as the social chair for ZBT, planned a party with Marielle’s Sorority… Coincidence? We will let the readers decide. Marielle knew this was her second chance. The moment Marielle stepped foot into 444 Hudson, their eyes met.

Andrew: "Hey Marielle"

And the rest was history.

Marielle and Andrews love story continued. Andrew got the stamp of approval from Marielle’s puppy Dane, they graduated from college, spent MANY weekends in Fire island, survived their very tiny first apartment together. Marielle went on to grad school, a global pandemic happened, they moved into their second apartment, both got jobs, both got new jobs, made new friends, had new experiences, and navigated adulting in NYC together. All leading up to the moment where Andrew got down on one knee in the same place he said “I love you” for the first time in Fire Island and asked Marielle to be his wife.

Which brings this story to the present. Andrew and Marielle cannot wait to celebrate their love in front of all of their friends and family on September 7th, 2024, and continue adding to the pages of their never ending fairytale.

The End

.....Actually, it’s just the beginning.