Although they grew up 20 minutes from each other, Katie and Jake's story begins in Western Massachusetts at UMass Amherst, where they met online. After having a first date consisting of Texas Roadhouse and Katie damaging her car in the parking garage, Katie and Jake immediately hit it off. They found themselves spending more and more time together, whether it was studying in the library together, eating in the dining halls, or Jake being forced to watch the Harry Potter movies. When Katie graduated in May 2019, they began their long-distance journey while Jake finished out his senior year, with much traveling for both of them from South Carolina, to UMass, and to eastern Massachusetts. Katie then decided to start PA school at Westfield State in January 2020, only a 45-minute drive from UMass! They saw each other frequently over the weekends until March 2020, when Jake left Massachusetts to be with his family in South Carolina during the COVID-19 lockdown. For the first time during their relationship, Katie and Jake didn't know when they would see each other next. Luckily, in May 2020, Jake drove up from South Carolina with his sister and her boyfriend to move out of his UMass dorm and reunite with Katie. They both then drove down to spend a few weeks with Jake's family in South Carolina before returning to Beverly. They then moved to Northampton, MA in December 2020 where they stayed until December 2021 while Katie finished up her PA school clinical rotations. After a few more months in Beverly, they have been living in Watertown, MA since April 2022 with their dog, Sully. Jake proposed to Katie at Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant, SC surrounded by his family. They celebrated after at their favorite southern barbecue restaurant! Jake and Katie are so excited to have you as a part of their special day!