In late June 2015, Ben was an anxious law student buried in a pile of legal tomes and case notes. Meanwhile, Matthew was a young urban professional living his best life. It was at this time that the two first connected on the apps. But after three days of missing each other's messages, the two never really got past "Hi, how's it going?" And, but for bit of luck and curiosity, this story could have ended there: just another missed connection.

Fast forward to February 2016 and, for reasons known only to himself, Matthew tried again to message this geeky law student whose chosen profile picture involved a glass of wine, a giant spread of Chinese hot pot, and a smile that announced his joy at the situation. As the old cliché goes, the third time was the charm. The two began chatting and a month later went on their first date.

After a change of venue and a rain delay, Matt and Ben finally met for their first date at the Stan's Donuts in Lakeview. Ben was incredibly anxious and this manifested in a reserved, interview-like demeanor. In his own words, Matt wanted to get past "Interview Ben" and searched for a topic that would unlock this nervous introvert. When Matt asked Ben if he liked Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ben's face lit up and the conversation began to flow. The two talked for hours, eventually getting kicked out by the employees at the donut shop.

Matt and Ben soon figured out there was something special here. For Matt, a moment of clarity came when he reached out to Ben for company because he was feeling down after coming back from a college reunion. He knew Ben would understand and be happy to reminisce with him about their college experiences and the joy they had each found. For Ben, the light bulb went off when he realized all he wanted to do was tell every friend in his phone about this sweetheart guy he was seeing - the kind of guy he had always hoped to meet.

The pair spent time traveling around the country to meet family and friends, ate their way through some truly incredible food, and were welcomed into each other's friend groups with open arms. The two find that often the simple and mundane moments of every day life bring them the biggest smiles. They cook together every week, and Matt has made great strides in both his knife skills and his confidence in the kitchen: he has gone from thinking tomatoes were impossible to cut to making his own pasta sauce from scratch. Ben couldn't be prouder.

In October 2022, the two decided to take a trip for just the two of them to a place neither had ever been. You see, Matt and Ben had decided to take the next step in their relationship together and wanted to take this step into the unknown both physically and metaphorically. On a long weekend trip to Seattle, Matt and Ben proposed to each other. Emblematic of their personalities, Matt meticulously planned an entire day of food and activities that Ben would like before choosing a picturesque park with a view of the skyline to propose in at sunset. Meanwhile, Ben carried the ring around with him most of the day, figuring that he would just know when the time was right. After their big day of adventure around a new city, Ben proposed when they got back to their hotel room because one of his favorite things was coming home together - and, for Ben, anywhere felt like home as long as he was with Matt.

We are so excited to celebrate with our friends and family in May 2024! Thank you for loving and supporting us.