We first met in 8th grade science class. Melissa was immediately struck by Jake’s cute smile, and Jake was intrigued when he caught her checking him out through her lipgloss mirror (whoops!). Melissa quickly found out that Jake was dropped off at school early and had her dad start doing the same, just so she could hang out with him. Of course, like most 8th grade relationships, we were both a bit shy and the first time Jake asked Melissa to be his girlfriend, he had his friend Travis there for backup. As expected, the whole thing lasted about as long as an 8th grade romance can — which is to say, not very long. Cue years of “just friends” status. Though we went to different high schools and then different colleges, we kept in touch, texting and hanging out whenever we could. Eventually, during our senior year of college, we reconnected at Music Midtown. The chemistry was still there, and soon after, Melissa visited Jake under the pretense of wanting to see the mountains — and, well, one thing led to another. We started visiting each other regularly, but like many college long-distance relationships, we weren’t sure where things were heading. Melissa had dreams of moving to Denver and Jake was not sure yet where he’d end up, so we hit pause and parted ways for a bit. Then, one day, Jake sent a text teasing Melissa: “I’m moving to Denver. I’ll show you around once you finally decide to move there.” And just like that, the universe seemed to nudge us back together. A few months later, Melissa found herself driving her car into Denver — and there was Jake, waiting to help her unload it. Fast forward to today, and here we are, years later, preparing to get married! It’s been a long journey, but we wouldn’t change a thing. We can’t wait to start this next chapter together and to celebrate with you all!