We're getting married

During their junior year at Duke, Caroline and Jack were both named Presidents of the Women's and Men's Club Basketball teams. Fate brought them together that Spring at a club fair for incoming students, where they were assigned to the same table representing Club Basketball. It was here that “Yarbs” introduced herself to Jack (as Caroline, of course). Love and Basketball had begun! Jack messaged Caroline over the summer for advice on improving the men's club, with only the club's interest in mind, of course. "Why is this guy sliding into my Facebook DMs about basketball club management in the middle of summer?" she must have wondered. As senior year revved up, so did their budding romance. Amidst club mixers, Shooters parties, and a Fall Break Vegas trip, Caroline was taken aback when Jack finally asked her on a "legitimate" date to Geer Street Garden. Fast forward nearly 9 years, they’ve covered a lot. A year of true long distance (with Caroline living in Catamarca, Argentina), two years of Boston–DC weekend trips, Covid quarantine at Caroline’s childhood home, and their move to London together to pursue an MBA.

In a twist neither of them saw coming, a post-Christmas 2022 Europe trip would end with Caroline and Jack sealing the deal. Jack, armed with the ring from the States, jetted off to Portugal to meet Caroline and her family. His master plan? Sneak the ring back to London and pop the question sometime in the Spring -- perhaps over a warm cask ale in a dark pub, or outside in a romantic English drizzle (he was still working out the details). But then, the Dolomites happened. Imagine this: perfect weather, slopes that didn't threaten their lives (too much), and Italian cuisine that could make you weep. Halfway through, Jack had his lightbulb moment—this was it, the perfect scene for the grand proposal. Cue to the last night, in the chilly embrace of Ortisei, Jack, pretending to be a Christmas tree enthusiast, dragged Caroline to the town square. With a hotel receptionist turned impromptu paparazzi, he went down on one knee. Caroline, in a state of shock that probably lasted longer than we'll admit -- said yes!