In 2018, Brendan and Bailee met at Penn State University while studying architecture. The program is famously studio-based, with students spending 8+ hours a day—plus overnights and weekends—in the same building. Each student is assigned a drafting table and storage locker, essentially living their entire collegiate life out of one space. Before classes began, Bailee stopped by to scope out her new setup and find her desk. Directly across from hers was a name tag: Brendan Astheimer. Her first thought? “I hope he’s cute,” considering she’d be staring at him all day for the next two semesters. As it turns out, she’d be staring at him for much longer than that. It took Brendan a little while to catch on, but the pair made things official in September. Despite (or maybe because of) sharing every class, every friend, most hobbies, and nearly every waking moment, they didn’t drive each other crazy—in fact, quite the opposite. Time apart during summers, winter breaks, and COVID only made them miss each other more. By their third and fourth years, they were living together in their beloved rental—The Castle House—which only brought them closer. They studied abroad in Rome, traveled across Europe, somehow ended up living in a frat house with all their friends, and graduated together in 2023. After graduation, they battled the job market to find jobs in the same city—and won—eventually landing in Baltimore. Since then, they’ve bought a home and become proud cat parents to Bear and Goose. In December 2025, Brendan proposed. Brendan and Bailee can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter surrounded by the people they love most.