We're getting married!

Michael and Jordan met in 2019 while in Engineers Without Borders, a student-led club at their undergrad at Case Western Reserve University. The team traveled to the Dominican Republic to work on a community water project, and they were inseparable. During workdays they talked and sat by each other during meals. On the bus ride back to the airport, Michael sat by Jordan even though there was plenty of space for everyone to have their own row. They talked more, and Jordan fell asleep, subtly leaning her head on Michael’s shoulder. When they returned home, they got pizza together. It wasn’t a date. It was just pizza. They ordered a weird pizza to share – something with lots of garlic, olives, and feta. But what was weirder is that they both liked it. And that they could seemingly catch up over an absurdly garlicy slice of pizza, even though they did not know each other for that long. A few months later when they realized that this was the feeling of love, they declared that first weird pizza as their official first date (and still order that pizza to this day). Then everything else came like a rush. They moved in together in Little Italy in Cleveland. They held hands in Rome and shared the same view of Michelangelo’s mural in the Vatican. They adopted a dog and started building a life completely intertwined. Hiking, cooking, camping, traveling and experiencing so much together. In 2024, they planned their proposal together in secret. They designed their rings and picked the perfect spot at Acadia National Park in Maine – Jordan Pond to be exact. They wrote down every expression of love and every perfect reason this was meant to be, and afterwards, they called their friends and families with the surprise. Everyone was elated and excited, but no one was shocked. Their love was undeniable. So now, here we are, celebrating something seven years in the making, but certain from the start.