Emily and Ait met during their time in graduate school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Emily was pursuing her MFA in costume design and Ait was there to study screenwriting. They were introduced at a grad school luncheon in the film building and became friends after attending their first trivia competition at a local bar later that week. They continued to compete together in local bar trivia, in addition to getting together to watch live events such as the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl. Ait graduated in 2018 and moved to LA to pursue his career, while Emily remained at UNCSA until she graduated from her program in 2019. Even though Emily and Ait lost touch as they committed to their career paths after receiving their MFAs, they still thought of each other as good friends. When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world, job opportunities became scarce for both of them. Emily started working as a nanny and a political canvasser while Ait traveled to Indiana to care for an elderly relative. After a few weeks living in Mennonite farm country, Ait remembered that Emily had said she wanted to live and work in Chicago after grad school. He reached out to her and invited her to come visit him on the farm. Emily agreed, happy to have a reason to see a friend who was close-by. That visit to the farmhouse in Indiana was the first of many. During that beautiful, quiet autumn, Ait and Emily began to realize that they wanted to be more than just friends. Once Ait returned to Los Angeles, he and Emily agreed to be in a relationship, even though it meant they would be long-distance for an unspecified amount of time. Ait moved to Chicago in the summer of 2021. A year later, he and Emily were living in the same apartment, along with Emily's cat, Victor, who, Ait has said is, "a pretty okay roommate." After a year of living together, working together on the Film Independent Spirit Awards, taking an international trip to London, playing music together, and having many more exciting adventures, Emily and Ait began to discuss getting engaged. On the night they knew they would be getting engaged, Emily and Ait went to one of their favorite restaurants in Chicago, Uvae (on the corner of Bryn Mawr and Clark in Andersonville.) After a lovely dinner, Emily wanted to get ice cream. Ait asked if she was sure, and Emily said of course she was sure, thinking what a weird question this was as she was always sure about getting ice cream. After ice cream was enjoyed, they headed home. When Emily walked in the door, Ait asked if she wanted more ice cream. "What? No!" Emily said - she was already full of ice cream and did not need any more. "Maybe you should look in the freezer," Ait replied. Emily opened the door to the freezer, and there on top of her pint of ice cream was a Tiffany's ring box. She was delighted. Emily and Ait are so happy to be together, and they look forward to spending their lives with one another.