The scene was bucolic: the morning fog lifting, the sun shining. Of course, that fog was in the ZBT basement, more likely a remnant of the previous night's deployment of a smoke machine rather than a naturally-occurring phenomenon. Despite being in a fog of my own making, I smiled as an acquaintance, Becky, sat down beside me at Friday brunch. Our next few hours were full of laughter, hangover food, and excellent banter. I was smitten. Becky was...less so. After that morning, our paths would cross around campus every now and then. For me, those brief interactions were a thrill. For Becky...less so. A few months later, Becky and I studied abroad in Europe, where, somehow, our paths crossed more regularly. At Oktoberfest in Munich, the Bernard Shaw Pub in Dublin, L'as du Falafel in Paris. During that last encounter -- Paris -- I realized this was more than a crush. A chance meeting led to sharing wine, walking the streets, navigating the subways. I returned to Dublin sure Becky was the one. Becky remained in Paris...less sure. Aware that my romantic interest was perhaps not mutual, I used one of the mightiest tools known to man: the pen. Or, at least, I messaged Becky on Facebook. We had already exchanged some shorter messages, but after Paris, they grew longer and longer. It was a new age application of an age old practice: Becky and I were pen pals. Eventually, we returned to Evanston. There, after a trans-Atlantic pursuit, I asked Becky to dinner. She said yes. Five years later, we returned to Paris. We shared more wine, walked for miles on end, and navigated the subways once again. Over a picnic of champagne, macarons, and cheese, I proposed. Now, Becky was sure too. She said yes, and just like that, we were engaged to be married! We've travelled the world together, moved across the county and back together, quarantined for more than a year together. We're ready to get married, and we can't wait for you to join us.

Sometime during sophomore year of college, I met Gabi. We had a lot of mutual friends and frequented the same social events, but our exchanges were always lighthearted. I knew he was funny and my friends really liked him, but I didn’t know much else. During our fall quarter abroad, all of our friends gathered together at Oktoberfest, and Gabi did the mature thing and told his friend to tell my friend to tell me that he “liked” me. I didn’t know him that well, so I figured this didn’t mean much but thought it couldn’t hurt to get to know him better and see if I might “like" him too. While planning a trip to Dublin, I messaged Gabi on Facebook for some recommendations on where to go, and he offered his suggestions and to show my friend and I around. I left Dublin after a couple of days, but our messaging continued. We went back and forth sharing stories from our travels as well as of our backgrounds, learning more about each other. A month or so later, our group of friends decided to visit Paris on the same weekend for a big reunion. I found myself excited to see Gabi. I was still unsure about potentially dating someone that I had so much overlap in friends with, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge that he was special. By the time we all returned from our European travels and headed back to school, I was sure that Gabi meant more to me than a friend I could just joke around with at parties. Gabi asked me to dinner when we returned to campus - a rarity for 21 year olds - and we went on our first date a week later. After nearly a year of long distance post-college from DC and New York City (and a year of long distance between Manhattan and Brooklyn), we moved in together. A year later, we moved to Chicago for Gabi's graduate program. A year after that, we returned to Paris to relive our time abroad, and, unbeknownst to me, get engaged! And now, a couple years and one global pandemic later, we are so excited for you to join us as we start our next adventure.