Andrew & Colleen met in the summer of 2016 during Band Camp for the Exeter Blue Hawk Marching Band. Andrew was in his freshman year, and Colleen, a sophomore, was his deputy section leader! Despite not connecting immediately, they often found themselves in similar circles, going on to be distant friends in Japanese classes and Model UN. Later that year, Colleen formed the “Stand Tune Committee,” a group dedicated to choosing new music for the band’s bleacher songs during football season. Andrew was the first to join, and that’s when phone numbers were exchanged. Andrew often jokes that when Colleen came up to him in the cafeteria to ask for his number for the committee, he thought she was cute. Not long after, during an event for Japanese class, he hit her in the face with a volleyball while she was cheering on the sidelines; a memory they both laugh at fondly. Andrew & Colleen love to reflect on their shared past of also attending the same elementary school, Swasey Central. Both natives of Brentwood, New Hampshire, they grew up just minutes away from each other and often laugh & reflect about how they were walking the same school hallways since they were 6 and 7, but their love story didn’t begin until years later. It was truly an invisible string that always tied them together. They had multiple small encounters throughout high school—being paired up for Japanese exercises, winning the same award at UMass Model UN, band class breakout sessions, and attending the same field trips. It was on one of those field trips that Colleen spotted Andrew walking alone and stopped him in the middle of a crosswalk in Boston to invite him to coffee. From that little shop (whose name they’ve long forgotten), they’ve been inseparable ever since. When Colleen went on to study at Ursinus College, they began navigating long distance. When Andrew committed to Baylor University and Colleen transferred to Flagler College, they kept their relationship strong by FaceTiming constantly, Game of Thrones late night marathons, and making many trips to visit each other on their respective campuses. They always made the effort to celebrate each other’s milestones side by side. Never once did they doubt that they belonged together, and that long distance was always worth it. They additionally kept up their love for music, with Andrew in the Baylor Golden Wave Marching Band and Colleen in the Flagler College Pep Band: always holding dear the activity that first brought them together. After finishing their degrees, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin to officially close the long distance chapter and build their life together. They enjoy camping, reading, cooking, and playing board games together. They’re both lovers of all things classical, a good cup of tea, and, of course, their cat, Clover. Their favorite trip together so far has been to Big Bend National Park, and they plan to explore many more in the years ahead. Andrew & Colleen are so excited to have the people most special to them (traveling in from a whopping 14 different states) together in one place to celebrate their love on March 29, 2026! They both hold dear the invaluable nature of friends and family and could not be more grateful for the day with all of you. Thank you for reading and being equally as excited for our wedding as we are—we’ll see you soon!