We grew up in neighboring South Jersey towns, Egg Harbor Township and Mays Landing - close enough that we definitely should have met sooner. We shared mutual friends, but somehow managed to miss each other for years. Clearly, fate enjoys suspense. In October of 2020 Alexa moved to Philadelphia in a house with her friends and hosted a Halloween party. That night, we were officially introduced as Benjamin Franklin and a circus ringmaster and immediately clicked… as friends. We bonded over mutual friends, shared work ethic, our sarcastic personalities, Philly sports, and our shared love of keeping the party going at all times. However, it was the familiar sense of family that made us feel at home with each other. We grew up in the same kind of loving chaos where we both knew what it meant to share everything and you had to speak a little louder to be heard. As we spent more time together, we realized that our upbringings had shaped us in the same ways. By April 2021, we made it official, but just to keep things interesting, Jay moved to Boston in July 2021. What followed was a two-year long-distance relationship between Boston and Philadelphia, fueled by weekend visits (dogs and all), lots of texting, and a whole lot of commitment. We figured if we could make it through distance, we could make it through anything. Spoiler alert: distance didn’t win! We closed the gap, made our way back to New Jersey, and here we are—proof that the best things are always worth the wait. What started as a missed connection turned into forever, and we can’t wait to celebrate it with all of you!