Some say that fate always finds its way, and that is the exact word that I would use to describe how we met. Thanks to some 21st-century twist of fate Spencer and I met through Instagram back in late 2016. No mutual friends or anything in common, only what some could say is pure chance, one simple follow, and two lives that would change forever, for good. After months of random following and liking each other's pictures back and forth, I finally decided to message Spencer, at the persuasion on my cousin Sydney, on that night in chilly February. We started talking and there was an instant connection between us. Our first date was to go see Mamma Mia in Playhouse Square that following month, on March 19th, 2017. Nerves aside it was an amazing night and one that would continue to change our lives again. That night after the play we went outside, and that is where Spencer asked me if I would be his boyfriend, and of course, I said "yes." From there we enjoyed every moment shared together. As Spencer was finishing college we were limited to weekend visits, but we made it work. After Spencer graduated in December he moved in with me the following January of 2018. Since then we have been lucky enough to share so many wonderful experiences together. From singing our hearts out at concerts, marching for equal rights in Washington DC, or trying out a new recipe together for dinner, we enjoyed every moment shared together. After our second year anniversary, I knew that I needed to get serious, and I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Spencer.

I knew that from the beginning, I wanted to marry Spencer, and I knew that the time had come, so I started planning. For months I put so much time and thought into making our engagement a day that we would never forget. Finally, the day had come, June 28th, 2019. We had tickets to go see Dear Evan Hanson in Playhouse Square. After the show, we walked outside to get our traditional post-show picture, but to his surprise, our entire family was there. Just when he was figuring out what was going on, he turned around, and I was kneeling there with the ring in my hand, in the same spot our story had begun over two years earlier. The moment was filled with many tears, excited cheers of celebrations, and of course a loving "yes" answer to my question! The evening was spent celebrating our engagement with close friends, family, and those who have shared our journey so far. We have been so blessed with the love and support we have received so far. We look forward to writing this new chapter in our book together and are excited to share it along with you.

The decision to get married early was a very hard decision for us to make. There were several factors that went into this decision and we hope you all understand where we were coming from. As I am sure you all remember, 2020 was a year full of a lot of uncertainty. From COVID-19, to lockdowns and the political climate. We first started to discuss possibly getting married early due the rise in the political climate, specifically the supreme court nominees. With the Supreme Court getting two new conservative justices who have been very vocal on their stance of homosexuality we both were nervous of what our future could possibly look like. So in order to try and protect our rights in case anything did happen, we decided to get married. As much as we wanted to have everyone with us to watch us say our vows, we just knew that this was the right thing to do. So on November 21, 2020, we said I DO! Luckily we were wrong and there were no changes to the rights of the LGBT+ community. Both of us still feel like we made the best decision for us and now we just have to focus on the celebration. (which we all know is the best part) Just know that we love each and every one of you so very much and we look forward to dancing the night away with you all!