A note from the groom - Alex and I first met at a 5th grade elementary track meet. I was running the inside lane and it was one of the last events. I remember being wiped having been one of the only athletic kids at a small school (Derek was still wearing shoes 3x too big for himself… so I was carrying the class). It was the final turn onto the home stretch and over my shoulder, on the outside lane, a high stepping mother f’er, comes Alexander. Boy, I was crushed... we lost the race. If only you had told me then that 14 years later I'd be marrying that guy’s sister... Alex and I continued to be great friends since that day. One of those friends you could call upon when in need of a Sam Wise Gamgee or Samwell Tarly. A brotherhood. Alex was used to getting teased for his older sister. I never gave in - something that earned his permission all these years later. Whether that be some morale drilled into me or just wanting to treat him as I would like to be treated having my own older sisters. But to confess, it was neither here nor there, but truth be told, none could compare… Claire was stunning beyond compare. Through college I would have run ins with Claire and our friend groups. It wasn’t until after college that Claire and I began talking differently. We were never made to run forever We were just meant to go long enough To find what we were chasin' after Very innocently I may say, contrary to what some may claim, I reached out to Claire. Through endless phone calls and countless conversations… I knew I had found everything. Entirely new and exciting, I knew right away that things with Claire felt different and so so right. To everyone that knows Claire and is reading this, you understand what I am about to say. That prefaced, Claire makes you feel like the most important person in the world. Her being and presence alone, can take you from feeling like you got a general promotion to might as well have become CEO. Claire is someone that I want to make feel that way about herself in return. She deserves it. Because simply Claire is the best. She is my person and I am so lucky that our paths crossed again and again. I believe I found it here in your love I grew up a bit of a romantic. Watching endless chick flicks and praising Nicholas Sparks - I have always wanted a forever love story. For I am so grateful to have found this… Claire, You Are, and Always Have Been, My Dream. A note from the bride - Put simply, when I was 12+, I told my mama more than once that I was going to marry G someday. This was over 14 years ago in a ghetto basketball gym- a gym where my dad and Brian (G’s dad) were coaching, and Gabe and my brother were playing. Did I get an eye roll? Yeah. Did I mean it? Also yeah.. but keeping in mind he was my brother’s best friend. Bubbs, I love you.. but I did indeed keep going to your games even though I didn’t care that much about the actual games. I have always been drawn to G. Our friend groups (and families too) stayed connected from that first basketball season, through college, through today. I had crushes on Gabriel here and there over the years, but the friendship and respect was always constant. It laid the perfect foundation for the relationship of my dreams. The day G “casually” reached out to me while I was on a girls’ trip in Mexico, I had a weird feeling. Our first phone call lasted over five hours. And after one late-night Thanksgiving conversation in Moscow at my parents house, I told my mom the next morning - yet again - that I was going to marry him. I’ve been obsessed with the idea of my future husband since I first started playing pretend. My parents’ love set the bar high, and my dad & brother’s protectiveness has always been intimidating. I never thought I’d find someone who would fit into the family mold so perfectly - who would not only meet but exceed every expectation of mine, but theirs. He makes me so excited about the future, and honestly, every single day of my life.