Chris and Stephanie met in college at Penn State University during the fall of 2013. The evening started with the two being the only guests at a club information session. They interacted only a little, but at the end of the event Chris was a gentleman and offered to give Stephanie a ride home. Thinking his car must be nearby, (and recognizing how cute he was) Stephanie agreed. Little did she know, his car was quite a few blocks away from campus, and as they walked further and further into the suburbs of State College, she started seriously rethinking her decision. Luckily, as they walked, they were able to talk and laugh and get to know one another more than they had during the information session earlier that evening. This time together may or may not have had a significant influence on the two deciding to attend more club events to ensure they got to see each other again…

Fast forward and both Stephanie and Chris ended up joining the club (Phi Sigma Pi Honors Fraternity) and becoming good friends. They always found ways to extend their time together, including signing up to attend the same events, coordinating where they parked their cars so they could always walk together, and sitting side by side during meetings any time they could. It is safe to say when January 2015 came around and the two officially started dating, no one was surprised. After both graduated from PSU, they each decided to pursue their master’s degrees in different states in the fall of 2016. Chris headed to the University of Arkansas while Stephanie went to North Carolina to attend Appalachian State University. Over the next three years there were countless trips made to visit each other in Fayetteville AR, Boone NC, Chattanooga TN, Charlotte NC, Austin TX, Salt Lake City UT, and Athens GA. After all the long-distance, in January 2020, Stephanie and Chris FINALLY were able to live in the same state, in the same city, under the same roof.

Chris and Steph lived together in Athens for a little over a month before they took a trip back up north for their “Spring Break”. They could not visit Pennsylvania without making a stop back at Penn State - the first time they returned since they left together in 2016. It was here, on March 11th, that Chris proposed in front of the iconic Lion Shrine, providing a fitting start to their official lives together. The celebration included a stroll through campus, Creamery ice cream, and a hike up Mount Nittany to round off the trip. While Covid-19 may have put a damper on any additional celebration, Chris and Steph are more than excited to have their family and friends together for the big day in 2021.