Sydney is born in Nashville, Tennessee and Ernad is born in Kolibe, Bosnia and Herzegovina - over 5000 miles apart.

Ernad and his family move across the world and settle in Nashville. Sydney and Ernad spend the next decade a few miles away from each other, growing up and not knowing what's to come.

Sydney and Ernad begin their freshman year at Belmont University, and happen to be in the same first-year writing class. On the first day of class - August 25, 2010 - the two immediately noticed each other. Ernad noticed Sydney's curly hair and Sydney noticed Ernad's icy blue eyes. Despite the attraction, they never had a chance to speak.

Four years after being in the same classroom, Sydney and Ernad graduate from college on the same day in the same ceremony.

After college, Sydney went on to pursue a career in art & education and Ernad went into accounting. The two remained in Nashville - working, traveling and enjoying their 20s.

In April 2021, Sydney and Ernad were both single and "on the apps," as they say, when Sydney saw a familiar face. She remembered those icy blue eyes and thought, "Why not?! Worst case scenario, he doesn't remember me- after all, it's been over a decade." To Sydney's surprise, Ernad remembered her too. After some preliminary chatting, they set up a first date.

After years of dead-end dating, both Sydney and Ernad had fairly low expectations for this date. Both were taking a chance because they did not have much in common on paper; but as the saying goes, opposites attract! There was immediate connection, banter and an undeniable spark. At a cocktail bar in West Nashville, their love story unfolded.

It did not take Sydney and Ernad long to realize they are soulmates. Their love of travel, food and endless curiosity for the world bound them in a way neither had ever experienced or expected.

In December 2022, the couple took a trip to Paris to celebrate Sydney completing graduate school. During a surprise trip to the Palace of Versailles (a very special place to Sydney), Ernad gave Sydney the best surprise by proposing! Without hesitation, she said yes and the two began planning their next adventure: marriage.