Perry and I first met at a mutual friend’s apartment during our sophomore year at Elon University. Luckily for me, Perry needed a copy of the map of all the fraternity party houses on campus, deemed the “Frat Map” (romantic, right!?). I jumped in to ask for her number to send it to her and that sparked a years long friendship that steadily grew into more. Once I realized what, or who, was right in front of me – the rest was history.

Since we had been such good friends for so long, on our first date I knew I wanted to make a splash – so I decided to cook her favorite food for her: Steak. It wasn’t exactly the splash that I envisioned, but a splash I did make, when I famously set off the fire alarm while cooking Perry’s well-done NY Strip. But in her eyes, it was the thought that counted and that was the first of our many adventures together as a couple.

Not only has our love survived fire alarms, but it’s persisted through three years 500 miles apart, long drives up and down I-95 from NY to NC, first moving in together to our apartment, the chaos of dog fostering and buying our first house together in Alexandria, VA. Through all of that, where some relationships may have faltered, it made us stronger.

I proposed to Perry on the beach in New Jersey on a trip with some of our friends from college. Perry thought we were taking a cute couple picture on the beach, when I got down on one knee, said those famous words, and opened the ring box upside down…. But again, like the fire alarm on our first date, in Perry’s eyes my epic blunder was nothing more than something to laugh about later and she said yes.

We can’t wait to celebrate with all of our favorite people in Nantucket for our wedding on September 28, 2024!

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