For years we were only 20 minutes away from one another but had no clue. Spending most of our childhood growing up in the Chicago suburbs. Tom in Libertyville, me in Barrington. It wasn't until February 9th, 2018 we met, not in Illinois, but the sunbelt. Like many modern romances, we met on a dating app, and our first date was on a rooftop bar in uptown Charlotte, NC, sharing many laughs, stories, and drinks. The connection was palpable. Tom says he knew right away I was the one. I knew it too but didn't want to admit it. The weeks following just solidified I had found my person, my safe place. In April, we officially started dating, and in January of 2020, we moved in together. The pandemic only brought us closer, and we got a new family member, our covid puppy Pippen. May 28th, 2021 Tom proposed at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, followed by a weekend stay and a spa day. It was truly the easiest yes of my life in a place where we had created so many memories and drank many craft beers. We chose to get married in Charlotte because that is where our love story began. Along with falling in love with each other in Charlotte, we have fallen in love with this city and are building our lives here; we even bought a house in the Queen City. We are ingrained in the fabric of the community not only personally but professionally, with myself as a TV news reporter and Tom as a multi-family real estate developer. We love being part of a growing city. We cannot wait to celebrate our pending nuptials in the Queen City, and thank you all for being an integral part of our lives! Now, let's party! XOXO, Alex & Tom