Twelve years ago, Evelina and Brodie met in their first year at McMaster University. They lived across the hall from each other - a classic girl-next-door story. It started with quick chats in the hallway, to late-night group hangouts with the quad, and shared snacks during study sessions (i.e forcing Brodie to watch Gossip Girl and then cringing in embarrassment at the dialogue). Somewhere between complaining about exams, borrowed pens, and group dinners, slowly turned into shared playlists and late-night conversations on the residence floor (that was probably never cleaned). Their friendship had an ease to it—fun, steady, and filled with tiny moments that were adding up to something bigger. By the end of that first year, something shifted. A lingering glance here, a longer trip to the mall. When they finally started dating, it didn’t feel like a big change. It felt like putting a name to something that had been there all along. Since then, their story has stretched across continents and seasons. They’ve wandered through night markets in Thailand, taken wrong turns on European backroads, and climbed a few too many steep trails for the promise of a good view. They’ve hunted down the best croissants in Paris and the best pastel de nata in Portugal. Always together, always hungry, always curious. Life at home has been just as full. Morning trips to local coffee shops, you know, for more croissants. Sunny walks so Brodie can take stunning photos of landscapes, people, and Evelina eating her croissants. Rainy days spent cooking something ambitious or ordering pizza from a new pizza place when the ambition fails. Lately, they’ve thrown themselves into new hobbies—playing volleyball (where Evelina’s skills are questionable but her enthusiasm is strong) and salsa dancing (where the same could be said for Brodie, but with more spinning). Their relationship has grown in the quiet ways too—in the way they know when to talk and when to just sit, in the way they still laugh at the same jokes, in the way home has become less about a place and more about each other. After more than a decade of growing up and growing together, they’re ready to start the next chapter. Getting married doesn’t feel like a new beginning as much as it feels like a continuation of something that’s always felt right. They’re so excited to celebrate with all the people who’ve shared in their story—and to keep building a life that’s full of love, adventure, and probably too much coffee.