If you know us well, you’re probably aware that our relationship isn’t exactly nascent. We dated for just over 9 and a half years before getting engaged. However, what you might not know is that our story actually starts well before the day we officially became a couple.

Growing up in the same community, we were only about 7 years old when we first played on the same soccer team together. And don’t worry, we dug up the photo evidence to prove it…

After the soccer years, we mostly went our separate ways for a while. However, we did have some overlapping friend groups. Fast forwarding to the end of high school, it was one of these mutual friends that brought us back into each other’s lives, as our friend Brian set us up for senior prom. “How did I not think of this earlier!”, we remember him remarking, “You’re both so similar!”

We had an incredible time at prom and getting to know each other again, so it became clear to us that something more than a friendship was starting to bloom. Consequently, we began dating on the Fourth of July that summer of 2014.

It wouldn't take long for our relationship to become long distance, as Katie went on to attend SUNY Cortland in upstate NY while Steven attended Northeastern University in Boston. But through weeknight Skype calls, long bus rides, and holiday breaks, we made it work. We have so many fond memories from this time in our lives, from sampling the many Italian restaurants in Boston’s North End, to brunches at Thornton’s, to watching fireworks in Piermont while celebrating our anniversaries. We learned how to love one another, grew both together and individually, and ultimately became adults ready to take on the world, hand in hand.

After college, Katie began her teaching career in New York State, while Steven was offered a job on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. So our distance relationship would continue. To us, though, our adventure was also continuing. We explored Cape Cod beaches, Katie earned a Master’s Degree, and we took our first few vacations together. We always believed that the many miles that separated us on most days were part of a temporary process, and persisted knowing that one day we wouldn’t need to drive 4 hours in order to be together. At last, in early 2023, our belief became a reality, as Steven began a new job that brought him back to New York.

It didn’t take long after the move for us to start talking about wedding bells. On a cold weekend in January of 2024, Steven suggested that we take a long weekend trip to Boston “just to visit his brother.” Little did Katie know that he actually had much bigger plans for that weekend. On Sunday the 14th, we took a stroll along the Charles River Esplanade after mass, something we had enjoyed countless times in prior years. It was here on the edge of the river that Steven surprised Katie when he dropped to a knee, pulled out the ring he had hidden in his coat’s breast pocket, and asked her if she would spend the rest of her life with him. She of course said yes, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Now here we are, ready to stand before God and our closest family and friends to make this eternal commitment to each other. We’ve written many chapters already to the book that is our story. We’re so excited for these next pages we get to write, and for the lifetime we’ll spend expanding the novel together. We cannot wait to celebrate with each and every one of you, and are incredibly thankful that you will be sharing in our special day.

- Steven and Katie