The Smreceks

We first got to know each other through a group chat for Franciscan University’s incoming class of 2026, but we didn't meet in person until freshman orientation in August 2022. By the first week of classes, Justine’s mom had lovingly dubbed us, along with our best friend and now Luke’s Best Man, “The Triplets,” as the three of us blond-haired, blue-eyed kids were always together and usually fooling around. By the end of freshman year, we had become best friends (with some sparks flying that we both denied). Through the highs, lows, and everyday moments of college life, we were rarely apart. People often teased us that they couldn't remember the last time they saw one of us without the other! Over time, after summers serving on separate mission trips, we each had the chance to step back and reflect on the kind of lives we wanted to build. While away, we both individually came to realize that the person we each dreamed to marry had been right in front of us all along. Having grown so much together since the very first week of college, it only made sense that the life we wanted to build was rooted in the one we had already begun together. The first day back at school after summer, we stayed outside beneath the stars until 3am talking about our realizations, marveling at the way God had moved our hearts in His perfect timing. On October 18, 2025, Luke got down on one knee and asked Justine to spend forever with him. What a blessing it is to marry your best friend! “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)