“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.” - Yogi Berra

“Hi, I’m Nick. How are you?” Like most couples in the 21st century, Alley and Nick met via the Internet—eHarmony to be exact (highly recommended!). A year after moving to Pittsburgh in 2019, Alley decided that it was time to expand her social circle in her new city (COVID had put a huge delay to that earlier in the year). Nick, after becoming ready to date again, was encouraged by his friends to try online dating. Billions of electrons and a hidden algorithm later, they matched online! Then a month or so later, they met in person! Nick was a gentleman and picked Alley up on their first date/meeting. The rest, as they say, is history.

Alley and Nick visited Jones Beach, NY for the first time on a trip to Long Island to visit Alley’s parents. Alley grew up in neighboring Long Beach and wanted to take Nick on a beach day. While Nick and Alley were at the shoreline, Nick pulled Alley close and asked her to marry him. Alley said “yes!” Then, “wait, really?” And then, “yes!” again. They celebrated the next day by attending a baseball game at Yankee Stadium.

During the early days of their relationship, Alley and Nick learned they have a shared love of baseball. Alley grew up a Yankees fan going to games with her dad or sneaking onto the LIRR and heading to the stadium with her friends; while Nick grew up a Pirates fan, exploring Three Rivers Stadium with his brothers and sister every summer. Their love for America’s pastime has been a cornerstone in their relationship. Their goal is to travel to all 30 major league ballparks together (so far they have 4/30!). Outside of being baseball fans, Alley & Nick have learned over the course of their relationship that baseball shares a lot of elements that go into a successful marriage. For example, baseball is played as a team sport—while individual performance of a player is important, no one wins a baseball game alone. Each player and their different abilities complement one another on the field. God puts marriage partners who are different together to complement each other and to play as a team. It takes dedication, perseverance, and staying focused day after day to be successful on the baseball field. This is also true in marriage. You cannot be a great husband or wife the first two years and then expect to coast the rest of the way. Every day is game day in marriage. And finally, baseball is sacred. The Yankees play in a stadium often called “The Cathedral of Baseball.” The Pirates, one of the original teams in baseball, have played on fields often referred to as “hallowed ground.” Marriage is a sacrament, a gift from God, created by God, to glorify God. Baseball, like marriage, is sacred. Our wedding day is not about the walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and two men out. It is not about finding peace after losing the big game. Our wedding day is about two teams, two families, merging and becoming one. We hope you enjoy sharing in our wedding day with us.