Their story begins in 2017 at Creighton University. Brian and Nina were both in their senior year of college when they were selected to be on Creighton’s Homecoming Court (it sounds much fancier than it was!) It might have been fate or the workings of the one and only Sarah Longhini when Brian and Nina were paired together as partners for the week. While Nina was busy getting started as Senior Resident Advisor in the dorms and Music Director for her acapella group, Brian was free as a bird and ready to do anything and everything for Homecoming - including decking out the Homecoming Golf Cart to look like a pumpkin carriage complete with inflatable horses! Nina quickly realized that this “squeaky blonde boy” had far too much time on his hands and gave in to the fun. She even joined Brian, Aunt Deb, Uncle John, and Joe Longhini on an adventure to Good Will where they created the legendary Cinderella and Prince Charming costume for the Homecoming Golf Cart Parade.

The entire day was a blast and Nina won the title of Creighton’s Homecoming Queen - but let’s be honest, Brian was far more excited than Nina was. The evening was spent with the entire Homecoming Court roaming around the Old Market having dinner and enjoying each other’s company. However, the night completely changed when “Country Girl Shake It” came on (right? Not the song you would expect!) Brian asked Nina if she wanted to swing dance and suddenly they were both struck by this new feeling. Nina thought, “maybe this blonde boy isn’t so bad”. Brian spent the rest of the evening carrying Nina’s crown and flowers and making sure she didn’t have to worry about a thing. He even arranged rides back to the dorms (Thanks, Mason!) and walked her to the door. Of course, Nina immediately walked into a duty situation in the dorms, but Brian texted her supportive words and stayed up to tell her goodnight. The next morning, Nina wasn’t sure whether or not to text him. Luckily, he made the first move.

Despite their crazy schedules (and by their schedules, we really mean Nina’s!), Brian and Nina found pockets of time to spend together. Their first unofficial date was a 25-minute lunch on the mall, the pathway on Creighton’s campus… which Joe Longhini promptly decided to crash. For their first official date, Brian asked Nina if she wanted to go see the Holy Family Shrine. Despite having a load of homework and a meeting that went until 10:00pm, Nina agreed. They drove up to the beautiful shrine listening to good music and talking for hours. The next few months were full of cheesy text messages, meaningful conversations, and lots of rants about Creighton watering the sidewalks. Brian would come and sit at the dorm desk with Nina until 2am only to stay away with her until she was finished with homework later that night.

Towards the end of their senior year, Brian decided to road trip with Nina to the Oshkosh Placement Exchange where she interviewed for Residence Life and Student Housing jobs. This was a huge step in their relationship as it was forming decisions for the following year. Brian was incredibly supportive and even took Nina to find curly fries during a quick break in between interviews. It was at the conclusion of the Exchange that the two realized they would be long-distance for a small while.

Over the next two years, Nina worked in New Mexico while Brian stayed in Omaha, building his brand in the renewable energy world. They took trips back and forth spending as much quality time together as possible. Brian would find all the incredible places to explore in New Mexico and Nina would come back to all the favorite places she missed. It was two years of flights, soooo many Facetimes, and truthfully, a lot of work. Needless to say, the two overcame every obstacle and Nina finally moved back to Omaha in 2020 when she was offered a job as a Music and Theology teacher at Mercy High School.

In the years following, Brian and Nina’s days were filled with travel, game nights, amazing Hello Fresh meals, and most importantly endless love and support. In November of 2021, Brian proposed to Nina in front of the Holy Family Shrine, the same place they shared their first official date. After the proposal, he “had reservations for dinner” - aka a surprise party filled with the amazing friends and family who were able to make it out to Omaha to celebrate! It was a night to remember, capped off with a game of catchphrase lasting until almost 1 am.

This last year has been a whirlwind of activities and preparations leading up to April 29th. Creighton University was our home for so many years so we are excited to get married in St. John’s surrounded by all of the people we love the most. Thank you for being on this journey with us and constantly supporting us! We are so excited to celebrate with you soon!