I liked Andrew the day I met him. I remember first noticing him at the Cal Percussion barbecue before marching band tryouts. I overheard Andrew telling a funny story to a friend, and I noticed how modestly charming he was. There was a warmth and goodness that seemed to emanate from his very core. As we got to know each other, it became clear how much fun we could have together, and have continued to have for nearly 13 years-- traveling to places near and far on a budget, organizing the first "walk across the island" day in Alameda, spending an early weekend of Covid lockdown creating a showstopper springtime yule log cake. Andrew's the great enabler in the best sense! He'll always say yes to any of my schemes that promise to be a good time. I never really thought about how different we are until a friend pointed it out, because we are the same in the ways that matter most and the kind of life we want to build together. He is one of the funniest and warmest people I know, the hardest worker, curious about the world, and someone who has never failed to treat me with the utmost kindness and care. When we got engaged, I asked him to note the time so I could remember the exact moment I made the best decision of my life.

Lauren and I met when we were just 19 years old. We’re both too pragmatic to say we knew instantly that we’d spend the rest of our lives together, but over the last 13 years, I’ve never once doubted that I can trust Lauren completely. It’s always been clear that the life I’ve envisioned for myself is not just compatible with the life she has envisioned for herself– it’s actually a whole lot better with her in it. From very early, I’ve loved her adventurous spirit, her ambition, and her love for life. We have always managed to have fun together, whether we’re traveling abroad, or just sitting at home cooking dinner. Being with Lauren is effortless; whether life is easy or hard, we only seem to grow closer. She makes me a better, more complete person every day. So while some may say we’ve gone too slow, in my mind, this has all happened very fast. What we’ve managed to build together in just 13 short years feels like it should have taken a lifetime. The formalities of getting married are just the fun part that got skipped somewhere along the way. In that sense, for me this wedding is not so much making a commitment to Lauren– that’s been a foregone conclusion for a long time. Rather, this is about taking a moment to celebrate how lucky we are to have found our perfect matches in each other so early in life. We can’t wait to have you there to celebrate with us.