We met in the most romantic way possible... swiping right on Tinder. 💘 It was January 2016. Mary was about to break up with the app—literally delete it—when a message popped up like a plot twist in a rom-com. It was from some guy named Matt, who slid into her inbox with: “What’s your ideal first date?” Bold move, Matt. Mary, clearly a woman of refined taste, said, “Ice skating or playing Yahtzee.” You know, the classics. 💅🎲⛸️ Fast forward a few days: we had plans to hit the ice... but Mother Nature had other plans. (Thanks, rain.) So instead, we met up to “just hang out,” which turned into hours of nonstop conversation that somehow stretched into the wee hours of the morning. Neither of us knew it that night, but we had just stumbled into something pretty magical. All thanks to Tinder, Yahtzee dreams, and a very rainy first date. ❤️

Years went by—with some ups, some downs, and a lot of adventures— the love story of Matt and Mary kept growing right along with them (kind of like their collection of random kitchen gadgets). Then came March 2025. We planned a snowboarding trip to our favorite mountain in Canada. Mary thought it was just another fun weekend full of shredding powder and wiping out gracefully (ish). Little did she know... Matt had a secret mission. The snow was perfect—fresh powder had dumped a foot the week before, making this the last hurrah of the season before spring came in to ruin everything. We hit the slopes, got some solid runs in, and despite some freezing fog and light rain trying to cramp our style, spirits were high and snowboards were strapped tight. Well, mostly. At one point, Matt casually suggested taking a photo in a quiet, snowy spot. If you know Mary, you know she never says no to a photo op. But just as she whipped out her phone for a cute pic, she noticed Matt… taking off his snowboard. In waist-deep snow. Now, for anyone who snowboards, that’s like voluntarily sitting in a bathtub with your clothes on. Suspicious. So naturally, Mary raised an eyebrow and said, “Why are you taking your snowboard off, weirdo?” To which Matt coolly replied, “Oh, just checking how deep the snow is.” Smooth. Mysterious. Kinda sketchy. Then, after a few quick selfies, Matt turned to Mary, told her how much he loved her, and somehow managed to get down on one knee in the powder (heroic effort, honestly). He looked up and said, “Will you marry me, Mary?” (Pause for pun appreciation: Marry me, Mary. 😏) Mary, shocked, overjoyed, and probably slightly cold, said yes! (Finally.) And just like that, between fog, flakes, and a foot of fresh snow—we got engaged. 💍❄️❤️

After two whole months of being engaged (which is basically a decade in "we're-so-in-love" time), we looked at each other and said, “What the heck are we waiting for?” So we called up a mutual friend—a true spiritual guide, a man of wisdom and memes—and asked him to do what any good friend would: get ordained online immediately. And like the legend he is, he said yes. 🙌 Next stop: the Recorder’s Office. Not the courthouse, mind you—the Recorder’s Office, where all the most romantic, legally-binding love stories begin. 💌 We didn’t plan much. No floral arrangements. No seating charts. No doves or fireworks. We just knew one thing: we were ready to go from “engaged couple” to “Husband and Wife” with a pen and a prayer (and possibly a parking validation). When we arrived, our freshly-ordained friend was waiting outside, grinning like he’d just leveled up in a video game. Along with him were his amazing wife, their adorable daughter, and… a complete stranger (a friend of our friends who happened to be in town and wanted to witness the magic of contract law) and is now part of our wedding memory. Mary wore a sweet and simple white dress that said “yes, I am here to casually get married,” and Matt wore his classiest casual look—complete with actual dress shoes. Yes, dress shoes. Big day energy. We walked into the building and announced, “Hi, yes, we’d like to get married, please!” After a few questions (none of which included "Are you sure?"), a short walk outside, some scribbles of our signatures, and a few raised eyebrows from passersby… boom. Papers submitted. Mission complete. Just like that, we became Mr. and Mrs. Kopecko. 💍❤️🎉 Was it traditional? Nope. Was it perfect for us? 1000% yes.