Jen and Cody first crossed paths at Stephani and Gino’s wedding, but the universe (and some well-meaning friends) almost kept them apart. Cody, newly single, decided last minute to fly solo at the wedding. His friend Maggie was on a mission to play matchmaker, encouraging him to dance with every single woman in sight—except, of course, the one he’d actually hit it off with. Maggie didn’t realize Jen was single, so no introductions were made. Classic. Meanwhile, Jen showed up with her Meta crew, planning to leave with her friend Darlene. Thanks to a wedding date mix-up, Jen’s sister and brother-in-law were on dog-sitting duty, and Jen ended up crashing in a hotel room with her friend Carlie, who just happened to have scored a room with two beds. Sometimes, hotel luck is real. At the end of the night, as Jen was grabbing one final drink, Maggie finally asked if she was single and cryptically said, “I think I have a guy for you,” before vanishing like a matchmaking ninja. The real magic happened at the after-party. Stephani and Maggie gave some subtle hints, and Cody’s brother Tony made it easy by offering Cody a spot on the couch next to Jen. They bonded over the age-old debate: are puppies harder than babies? (Cody said yes, Jen roasted him, but secretly agreed a little.) They ended up talking and laughing until 4 am. When Jen left, Cody followed her, and they shared a kiss in the elevator—a classic country-boy-meets-city-girl moment straight out of a Hallmark movie (just without the Christmas tree farm). The next day, Cody texted Jen, offering to drive two hours from Central Illinois to Chicago for coffee or a drink. Jen, not one to let a good road trip go unrewarded, suggested dinner instead. And that’s how their story began —thanks to a wedding, a matchmaking friend with questionable timing, and a debate about puppies versus babies. The rest, as they say, is history.