If you ask either of us when our love story truly began, we’d probably smile at each other before agreeing that the official start was March 12th, 2019. But really, the first sparks were flickering long before that—somewhere between the kitchen and the front counter at McDonald’s, where we’d exchange quick conversations that stayed with us longer than we expected.

One day, Jenna decided to add Nick on Snapchat. When that notification popped up, his heart skipped a beat.

From there, everything just started to fall into place. We went on a couple of group dates with siblings and mutual friends, laughing a little more each time, slowly realizing how natural it felt to be together.

And then came March 12th, 2019. It was a rainy Tuesday evening and Nick asked Jenna to make things official in the parking lot of McDonalds. That is where we shared their first kiss - and that is the moment when we officially started us.

At 17 and 16—two juniors in high school balancing homework, exams, and part-time shifts at McDonald’s—we probably didn’t look like we had life figured out. But somehow, we already knew what we wanted: each other. We pushed through many late-night study sessions, supporting each other through every challenge, and eventually participating in our “Drive-Thru”graduation together (Thanks Covid).

Life didn’t slow down after high school—if anything, it became even busier. While both working full time and attending college full time, we pushed through countless long days, late nights, and early mornings as we worked toward the dream we’d always talked about: having a place to call our own. On June 28th, 2022, that dream became real when we bought our first home—our little beginning. We were exhausted but unbelievably proud.

Less than a month later, our home got louder, messier, and so much happier when we welcomed two American Akita puppies—Yukio and Yuri—whose giant paws and even bigger personalities filled our house with love (and fur).

Fast forward about a year and a half, and we both walked the stage at Grand Canyon University, proudly receiving our bachelor’s degrees in business management—an achievement that opened the door for us to work at the same insurance company.

By July 2024, we decided that having two extremely large (and very hairy) dogs in our three-bedroom, two-bathroom home somehow still wasn’t enough. While on a family vacation, we impulsively adopted a reservation rescue puppy named June. The decision definitely surprised the rest of Jenna’s family, especially since our Airbnb didn’t allow pets… a rule we may have chosen to creatively interpret.

And now, nearly 7 years later, it feels surreal to look back on where it all began. McDonalds and a Snapchat add. A couple of group dates later-Two kids in love who never have and never will stop choosing each other each and every day.

N&J

Wedding

4:00 PM–4:30 PM

Ceremony

4:30 PM–5:30 PM

Cocktail Hour

5:45 PM

Grand Entrance

6:30 PM–7:00 PM

Dinner

10:00 PM

Grand Exit