We’re technically already married — but like any good love story, ours still deserves a proper celebration. And like many good love stories, the path that brought us here was long, winding, and occasionally chaotic. Courtney and Brandon first met in July 2013 at summer orientation for Elmira College, where a shared campus experience grew into a lasting friendship. We laughed together, studied together, and supported each other through college — never quite knowing where it would lead. At the end of senior year, while Court was tutoring Brandon in a coding class, Brandon made a bold move and asked to kiss her. It was, without question, the best damn kiss Court had ever had. She fell hard — and then life sent us in different directions. Court moved to Buffalo for her doctoral program, Brandon to Rochester for his. We stayed loosely in touch until Nevin — Brandon’s best friend and a fellow Elmira alum — invited Court to a party Brandon was hosting. That night, Brandon asked to kiss her again, and from that moment on, we were inseparable. Our first real date came a week later, when Brandon convinced Court to join his intramural softball team. What he didn’t know was that Court is not, and has never been, a team sports person. The evening involved two softballs to the body, a spectacular face-first fall while running to first base, and absolutely zero athletic redemption. Court left the field bruised, bleeding, and questioning every life choice that had led her there. Undeterred, we went to California Rollin afterward, sat outside on the patio, and somehow managed to make things even worse. A bird pooped directly on our table. The table itself was wobbly. Someone bumped it. Wine spilled everywhere. Despite being bloody, bruised, and covered in wine, we stayed. We talked for hours, laughed through the chaos, and didn’t leave until they literally kicked us out. It was an absolute disaster of a first date — and also completely lovely. The next week, Brandon introduced Court to his entire family. A year later, Court moved to Rochester, and we got our first apartment together. In 2022, we moved to Buffalo, where we’ve lived ever since. That same year, we made the decision to get married — yes, because we love each other, but also because Brandon was going all-in on the company we founded together, and we both needed health insurance. Like most good love stories, ours involved love, tax breaks, and healthcare. And like most things we do, our path was decidedly non-traditional. We already had our wedding ceremony planned before Brandon ever proposed. The proposal itself came just one month before the wedding, when Brandon recreated one of their first dates. They got pedicures together, drank wine and played board games, and enjoyed a cozy Italian dinner on Hertel Avenue. When they returned home, Court’s mom had helped decorate the apartment with roses and candles. Brandon walked Court through their home, sharing favorite memories and reflecting on the life they had built, before asking her to marry him in front of her mom. It was intimate, thoughtful, and perfectly us. On July 20, 2022 — our third anniversary — we were married quietly on a lake in Maine, with Court’s maid of honor, Madeline, officiating. Since then, life has been full in the best ways. We both earned our PhDs — Brandon in biochemistry and molecular biology, and Court in industrial and systems engineering. Court is now a professor at the University at Buffalo, Brandon is the CEO of RHM Innovations, and we share our Buffalo home with our two beloved cats, Fitz and Louie. As Court continues her personal journey toward conversion to Judaism — a path we are walking together — we are so excited to finally celebrate with a Jewish ceremony that unites us in both love and faith. On Sunday, October 11, 2026, at the Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs, New York, we cannot wait to gather with the people who have shaped our story and celebrate this next chapter with you.