We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Tommy and I were in the same friend group through high school and college, so we certainly weren’t strangers. However, we had lost touch after college. In the summer of 2020, a mutual friend, Remi, reconnected us. It was 4 months into the pandemic, and restaurants were opening with outdoor seating, so we all planned to bop around Philly the following weekend. The week leading up to our reunion was full of anticipation and excitement. Tommy and I had texted and Snapchatted all week, and he was bold enough to FaceTime me to iron out the details of our plans. I was already crushing on him, but kept my feelings to myself. We ended up having a ball together that night and I left with the strongest feelings I've ever had for someone. Tommy’s polite demeanor, infectious positivity, and quirky personality made me feel at home when I was with him. I texted my best friend, Lara, to tell her about my evening and my newfound feelings for Tommy. I specifically recall telling her he was "husband material" and I was so nervous to find out how he felt about me. The next day, Tommy got straight to the point and asked how I felt about him "pursuing" me. This was the 2nd easiest question I’ve ever answered, right after “Will you marry me?”. From that moment on, we were full steam ahead. We planned a one-on-one date the following Friday, and Tommy insisted I bring along my dog, Layla. He cooked up a top-notch meal, and we spent the evening playing with Layla at the local park. We ended up having so much fun that I stayed the entire weekend! That is a testament to how our relationship has been from day one. We’ve been intentional and eager to spend as much quality time together as possible. While dating in quarantine was difficult for many other couples, it gave Tommy and me the chance to escalate our relationship, learn how to cohabitate, and ultimately let our love grow exponentially. He has become my best companion, and I can’t wait to tackle life with him for years to come.

I knew I wanted to marry Jamie less than a month into our relationship. I can’t describe how I knew; my heart was just telling me. I already knew Jamie was smart and easy on the eyes, but I quickly grew to love other aspects of her. For instance, I loved the fact that she talks a lot more than me and that she’s family oriented. Her bubbly personality was one I knew I wanted to keep being around. Not to mention, she laughed at all my jokes, even when they weren’t funny. Fast forward a year and a half later. It was a beautiful 60-degree day in December when I sneakily drove to our hometown to ask Jamie’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law for their permission to marry her. Not knowing when or how I would ask, our families were flooding me with ideas. I decided on my way home that there’s no better time than now. Once I had her family’s blessing, I didn’t want to wait any longer. I got home and convinced Jamie that we should take advantage of the weather and take a “Family Stroll” (what we call FS). Layla was a big part of our first date, and since living together, we make sure to disconnect to take a daily FS together. We walked to our local park as we do every day, and I asked Jamie if she wanted to sit down on a bench to enjoy the weather. Once we sat down, I immediately started crying. At this point, Jamie knew something was up. Not knowing what that was, Jamie asked, “Is this a good cry or a bad cry?”. I shook my head that it was a good cry and proceeded to get down on one knee and ask Jamie, and Layla, if they would spend the rest of their lives with me. Shocked and, with what appeared to be an out of body experience, Jamie said YES!