Madeline and Brandon grew up 14.6 miles away from each other. Seeking gainful employment and a reprieve from harsh weather, they both moved south after college. In 2017, they met for the first time at a Durham Bulls game. In 2023, after many books read and fish caught, countless nights out on Glenwood Ave and a global pandemic, they were both invited to their friend John Salanger’s apartment to watch a Carolina Hurricanes game. John invited many people that night, but Madeline and Brandon were the only ones to show. The couple’s first date was at Artsplosure, the Raleigh Arts Festival. Their first kiss was at Cardinal Bar, a milestone that was delayed due to the constant presence of John. Madeline went on a fishing trip to the Gulf Stream in order to impress Brandon, while Brandon made Madeline a series of dinners that deserved to be featured on the Food Network. They connected over the shared belief that they would be really good at the tv show Survivor, a certain unease felt when too far away from a body of water, and a borderline unhealthy love of cats. By Brandon’s first of many losses at the card game hearts and Madeline’s first visit to Brandon’s beloved Ocracoke, a marriage was in the works. On June 20th, 2025, Brandon proposed to Madeline in Clift Park on Skaneateles Lake, in front of the World War II memorial bearing his grandfather’s name, with a ring built from the ring Madeline’s grandfather gave her grandmother seventy five years prior. Shortly afterward, they joined their families at the Sherwood Inn, where Brandon’s mother Maria was heard shouting “We got her!” The wedding will take place on the northside of Syracuse, the childhood turf of Madeline’s father, at the church where Madeline’s parents were married in 1990 and her grandparents were married in 1959. The reception will take place in Skaneateles, where Brandon’s family has lived for generations. The happy couple live with their ever-feuding cats, Bean and Roo, in Raleigh, where they are surrounded by a close-knit group of friends. The cats will not be attending the wedding but pictures of them lounging adorably (in separate rooms) are available upon request.