Our journey began in the summer of 2016 when Joe, living in New Jersey, attended EMT school at the University of Iowa. Nicole was a student there, and her roommate and best friend, Kaitlin, was in EMT school with Joe. We met briefly that summer, followed each other on Instagram, but didn’t think much of it for years, aside from the occasional liked photo. Joe and Kaitlin remained close friends, going on several trips together, while Nicole and Kaitlin also stayed in touch, frequently seeing each other.

In April 2022, our lives took an unexpected turn when Kaitlin suddenly passed away. Joe, who was living in Connecticut at the time, was informed by someone from Kaitlin’s fire department. He reached out to the only person he remembered from Kaitlin’s life—Nicole. He shared the heartbreaking news and mentioned that he would be flying to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and renting a car to drive to Kaitlin’s funeral. Nicole, showing her generous spirit, insisted that Joe fly to Chicago and drive with her, as she didn’t want to make the drive alone. Joe agreed.

Meeting for the first time in six years, we made the six-hour road trip together and spent the next few days getting to know each other while celebrating our friend's life.

Afterward, we communicated every day, checking in on one another. Eventually, Joe broke the ice, and we decided to give a relationship a try. We've been inseparable ever since.

In the first few months of dating, we traveled to Nicole's family lakehouse in Wisconsin, went skiing in Vermont, hiked in New Hampshire, vacationed in Grand Cayman, attended Bears games, and flew back and forth to see each other every other weekend. Joe decided to change jobs and relocate from Connecticut to Chicago, moving just before New Year's Eve 2022.

Starting in May of 2023, we have been renovating a house together with the help of Nicole's Dad and Aunt as well as many other friends and relatives.

It felt as if Kaitlin had brought us together to take care of each other. After traveling more of the world together, it was clear that we were meant to be travel partners and life partners forever.

We got engaged in downtown Chicago, close to where we first walked together in the city two years earlier. Joe surprised Nicole by gathering close friends and family at a nearby restaurant to celebrate after the proposal. We value each other's generosity and kindness and cherish the life we are building together. We enjoy hiking, traveling, and spending time with our dog, Remy, who we got a week after getting engaged.

We are excited to celebrate our wedding with you on October 4th, 2025, at the Sugarbush Resort on the Mountain Top Meadow Ceremony Site in Warren, Vermont. We can't wait to start this new chapter of our lives together and celebrate with everyone.