Picture this: two college seniors from neighboring Boston schools who somehow never crossed paths despite having mutual friends and attending the same events and parties for nearly 4 years. Courtnie was finishing up at Tufts University while Phillip was wrapping things up at Babson College. Then came spring break 2017 in Cancun, where a chance encounter at Fat Tuesday would change everything—though Courtnie had no idea at the time that the charming guy she briefly chatted with was the same Phillip her friends had mentioned countless times before. The next day, after doing his due diligence with their mutual friends, Phillip showed up at her Airbnb with a plan. He was determined to get to know this girl better. What Courtnie thought would be a group ice cream outing became an impromptu date when friends Sosena, Michelle and Alex worked their magic—suddenly it was just her and Phillip at Haagen-Dazs. What should have been a quick scoop turned into the kind of conversation where time disappears. Two hours flew by as they discovered they were both pescatarian, shared a love for art and travel, and had a shared stance against zoos and aquariums. They were so engrossed that they missed meeting back up with their friends entirely and wandered off for tacos instead. Now, years later, they still honor that magical first date by treating themselves to dessert before dinner whenever the mood strikes. Back in Boston, their connection deepened. As student leaders—Courtnie as Black Student Union president and Phillip as his Alpha Phi Alpha chapter president—they found their rhythm as partners, organizing a joint open mic night during those bittersweet final weeks of senior year. That spring, Courtnie poured her heart into an oil painting for Phillip's graduation gift, the only commissioned piece she's ever finished for anyone. Then life did what life does—it pulled them in different directions. They lost touch as they navigated those post-graduation years. A couple years later, Phillip landed in the Bay Area for a venture capital opportunity, and almost a year after that, Courtnie found herself there too for a fellowship. Somehow, without planning it, they ended up just a 15-minute walk from each other. When they reconnected, it felt like coming home. COVID-19 tested everyone, but for Courtnie, new to the Bay Area and so far from family, Phillip became her rock. From that foundation of care, their love blossomed, and on April 22nd, 2021, they officially became a couple. The next four years were filled with culinary explorations, travel adventures, new workout challenges, and building their little fur family—Phillip's 130-pound Cane Corso (though Courtnie insists on joint custody) and Courtnie's two rescue kittens (who Phillip pretends he doesn't adore). Then came May 2025 and a trip to the Amalfi Coast. Courtnie thought they were just going to dinner in Sorrento, but Phillip had orchestrated something that felt like a fairy tale: rose petals, candles, and a private five-course meal at a cliffside villa overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. When he got down on one knee, Courtnie's "yes" came with the biggest smile of her life (just look at the pictures). Now they're planning their dream wedding for May 24th, 2026—exactly one year from that perfect proposal—on Jamaica's north coast where Courtnie's mom's side of the family calls home. And yes, they still laugh about the cosmic joke that Courtnie PHILLIP is marrying PHILLIP Aubrey. But with her last name already being his first name, it just felt like it was meant to be that she'd one day have his last name too!