It was a warm July day and, like many summer days before it, I had decided to go to the beach. My roommate decided to join me and, unbeknownst to me, our other roommate was heading there with a group of her friends. Eventually, we all joined up at Pirate's Cove in Rye, NH and I was introduced to a girl named Kate, who had allegedly been napping on her friend's couch prior to being dragged to the beach. An odd introduction, no doubt, but certainly one I would not forget. As time passed and we all became more acquainted, we decided to pass some time by playing a game. The premise of the game was simple enough, requiring each person to select an item to bring to a fictitious picnic starting at the letter "A" and moving down the alphabet as you go around the circle. As you move to the next person, you have to try to recall each player's items in alphabetical order before naming yours. So, like a silverback gorilla beating his chest to show off for a potential mate, I flexed my mental muscles and named each picnic item as if my life depended on it. As I recall, Kate was impressed. So much so that we spent the rest of the day together with this group of friends and I only sweat through one t-shirt which, on a 90-degree day, was incredibly fortunate. We all laughed, had tacos, slugged a few margaritas, and Kate and I bonded over our love for hot dogs - a beloved American treat that has fallen out of public favor in recent years. Anyway, the day came and went and we all went our separate ways. The next day, I received an unexpected Instagram message from Kate that read "I feel like we need to get hot dogs sometime." Intrigued and slightly confused, I agreed and suggested that maybe we can start with a drink instead. Soon enough, we had our first date at The Wilder in Portsmouth. We connected instantly and, even though we had just met, felt like we had already been dating for months. From there, we continued to learn about one another and found that we shared nearly all of the same interests and had similar outlooks on life. Since those early days, we have traveled, hiked, brewery hopped, biked, seen countless concerts, cheered on plenty of New England sports teams, and created memories that will last forever. Through all of it, we have become best friends, supportive partners, forever wedding dates, and soon to be Husband and Wife - all thanks to a beloved fan favorite, the hot dog.

The story begins on a summer Saturday morning in 2018 when Kate was being a dramatic princess and sulking on Nicole's couch. Nicole, being the good friend she is, insisted Kate join her and some mutual friends for a beach day. After arriving at the beach Kate quickly gathered that this group of mutual friends also included someone's random, handsome, Craig's List roommate; Collin Carville. It did not take long for Craig's List Roommate to acclimate with the group of odd balls and for Kate to realize he had a six pack and was really good at sports. Towards the end of the beach day the new friends decided to embark on a game of, "I'm going to a picnic and I'm going to bring" - a game where you take turns stating what you would bring to a picnic going from A-Z repeating the previously declared items along the way. It was when they got all the way to Z that Kate knew Collin was someone special. Not just anyone would stick it out through the entire alphabet! After the day hangout turned into dinner, card games, and living room karaoke featuring Collin and a lot of Abba singing, fate was sealed. Kate knew she needed Collin in her life in some capacity; friendship, relationship, she just knew he was meant for the long haul. Fast forward to the next day when Kate decided to slide into Collin's DM's and ask if he would like to meet up to share a hot dog (hot dogs were discussed in depth on the day they met...Maine red hot dog, snappy dops, natural casing, all beef...it's actually a great topic of conversation - you're welcome). Collin agreed they of course had to meet up to share a hot dog and within the week the two were on their first date. The date went swimmingly except for Collin sweating A LOT and saying, "OK BYE" while pivoting and running to his car because he was too nervous to go in for a kiss (or too respectful if you ask him). Minutes after separating Kate, being the forward, determined, girly she is, texted Collin and said, "we should do that again sometime”. Needless to say, they did get together again and found that they were meant to be best friends, soulmates, and life partners to infinity and beyond.