Our story starts in 2016, our sophomore year at the University of Maryland right before Christmas. We were set up for a fraternity formal by a mutual friend and really enjoyed spending time with each other, getting to know one another. Unfortunately, we had only met each other for 3 week’s time before we went our separate ways for the holiday break. During the break we promised to keep in touch and did way more than that. Sydney and I would spend hours on the phone talking to each other, learning about the different upbringings we had. Sydney came to visit New York City and 8 days after my shoulder surgery I went into the city and took her out for our first official date. We haven’t looked back since.

As we continued dating through college the trials and tribulations of everyday life became things we worked through as a team, no longer having to face them alone. We would ask each other for advice, cheer each other up if one was having a bad day, and be the first call when there was a success to celebrate. We were lucky enough to grow together through college and create unbelievable memories together.

When we graduated Sydney got a job in Arlington, VA, myself in Newark, NJ, our first time doing real long distance. Every other week one of us would drive the 4.5 hours to visit the other, always cherishing the time we could spend together but always wishing for more as well. When COVID hit, we quarantined together. First in Arlington, then in Florida, then in New Jersey. As COVID threatened to end relationships around us, ours grew stronger the more time we spent together. In October of 2020, we moved into Washington DC together. We continued to learn about each other even after 4 years and continued to challenge each other to be the best version of ourselves. We still live in the same apartment today. Except now, its not just us. Anyone who knows Sydney and I knows that we are dog lovers, trying to tie our own Beagle, Penny, into any conversation. Rescuing Penny was one of the greatest things Sydney and I have done as a couple and we continue to foster dogs today.

In July of 2022 I asked Sydney’s parents to marry her. A decision I had made years earlier in my mind, one that was so unbelievably easy. In August I asked Sydney, who of course said “Yes”.

As we continue to grow our love for each other and deal with more challenges as a team, we want to celebrate what we have already conquered and found within one another. Our wedding is a celebration of our journey to finding each other, growing with each other, loving each other, and bringing out the best in each other. We thank each of you for being a piece of that journey, whether it having been directly in our day to day lives, or being a part of our upbringings that have shaped us to what we are today.