Like many great love stories, ours began long before we even realized it. We grew up in the same hometown, walked the same high school halls, and shared mutual friends. We always knew of each other, but never truly connected until the timing was just right. Some call it fate, others call it an invisible string. Either way, something had been gently pulling us toward one another all along. That invisible string might just have had four paws. One of Anna’s best friends, Tiffany, had family dogs who had a litter of puppies. One of those puppies grew up to be our sweet Marley. He’s a pitbull, Rottweiler, and mastiff mix with a heart of gold and a serious obsession with Alex. Today, he’s very much a part of our little family and Alex’s most loyal shadow. Our official story began in November, 2018. Anna was home from college for Thanksgiving break—just 20 years old, a junior at the University of Delaware, with a birthday (and study abroad adventure in Italy!) right around the corner. Alex had recently graduated from Rowan University and was settling into his career in the business world, contemplating an MBA. When Alex first reached out, Anna was skeptical (to put it mildly). So skeptical, in fact, that she didn’t believe he was actually serious—and accidentally stood him up on their first date. She felt awful, and they gave it another shot the very next night. They met at Miga Sushi in Denville, New Jersey and over sushi and stories, something just clicked. Alex thought Anna was incredibly chatty (he wasn’t wrong), and Anna started to feel her guard coming down. A few weeks later, they found themselves at the Long Valley Brew Pub, making spontaneous plans to see the New York Jets play the Green Bay Packers—a matchup that only happens once every eight years. That game, on December 23, just before Christmas and just days before Anna’s 21st birthday, was when Alex had the quiet realization: this was something different. Something real. Anna quickly saw what made Alex so special: his kindness, his loyalty, and the way he embraced her completely, not just who she was, but where she came from. He didn’t flinch at the sound of her large, loud, passionate first-generation Italian family. He leaned in, became part of the chaos, and loved them like his own. Since then, life has taken us through incredible growth, individually and together. Anna went on to law school and is now an attorney. Alex completed his MBA and works in the fintech space. We've built a life grounded in laughter, love, respect and sushi dates whenever possible. From missed first dates to Marley’s puppy dog eyes, from college nights to career milestones, our journey has been anything but ordinary. And now, we can’t wait to start the next chapter surrounded by the people we love most.