Once upon a time, there were two individuals in desperate need of each other. Tragically, the Powers That Be had conspired to keep them apart. Who were the Powers That Be? There's simply no way to know, and it isn't important that we find out. Just let it be known that they were apart, in the Before Times. The Before Times weren't terrible; a large amount of truly wonderful things happened in the Before Times, it was just much better later on.

Sarah grew up in the town of Poughkeepsie, NY, with her brother and a surprising amount of cats. More cats than you would guess. (I don't know the actual number of cats, but I'm too scared to ask.) Sarah maintained close ties to the area, with a core group of close-knit friends who make her smile and laugh. And there were so many cats, who also made her smile and laugh. But it wasn't enough for Sarah, and so she searched for what was missing. At first, she thought perhaps it was more cats, or the musings of Taylor Swift, and although those did provide large sums of happiness, it was not the missing piece for which she ached.

Alex grew up in the town of Danbury, CT, amongst his older sister and younger brother, both of whom he adored. Much like Sarah, Alex also maintained a close-knit group of friends who made him smile and laugh. But there were no cats. Truly, not even one. Alex traveled across the state to attend college, and there he made some new friends to whom he grew close. Later, Alex moved to Atlanta for additional schooling, and there he met even more true friends. Later yet, Alex moved to Beacon, NY for his career and somehow made even more friends. This was indeed many friends, and Alex treasured them all. However, Alex knew that he too was missing something important in his life, and he decided that he would not rest until this was rectified.

And so, Sarah and Alex decided to make use of the most romantic and powerful tool at their disposal: Internet Dating. It's true, it was a means to an end, but what an end was brought to them by those means. Sarah and Alex met for the first time at the Nic L Inn Winery on June 19, 2018. The connection was electric, and one of them knew by the end of the first date that the two of them had embarked on something special. (There is simply no way to know which of the two that was.) For Sarah, it took a few more dates to decide that she too thought their connection was unique and the start of something wonderful. From there, it was a foregone conclusion that they had both found that which they had both felt was missing from their lives.

Sarah and Alex moved in together with their large cat Mushy in January of 2020. Very shortly after this momentous occasion, the three of them found that suddenly they had an increased opportunity to spend time together, and far less opportunity to see anyone else that they knew. Despite the awful underlying reasons for this, Sarah and Alex treasured the opportunity to grow closer together and stronger as a couple. Mushy was perhaps the happiest of all, unaware what the word 'pandemic' meant beyond that he was getting more treats than usual.

Alex proposed an engagement to Sarah in Acadia National Park on August 17, 2020 in front of a truly romantic sunset. Sarah had known about the proposal ahead of time, but she did her very best to act surprised anyway and decided to say yes. They were to be married! Just as soon as the pandemic was over, in any case. Is it over yet?

Sarah then asked Alex very politely to capture the essence of their story so that all invitees to the wedding could revel in their togetherness. She requested that Alex detail their adventure in equal parts truth, humor, sappiness, and sweetness. For any portions of this document that made you say "how nice!" or "how cringe-inducing!" or "that was funny!" or "that was factually accurate!", please credit Alex accordingly. If you believe that a particular passage induced one of those reactions but you suspect that Sarah edited it to make it so, please credit Sarah accordingly. Please send all credits to Sarah. We are both very excited to be wed with you in attendance!