Five years ago, MaryKate was a budding speech pathologist in Bayonne and Charles was an aspiring surgeon in New Brunswick. Through a little luck and MaryKate’s childhood friend (now bridesmaid), Olivia, they were fortunate enough to cross paths and go on their first date. It’s unclear if it was the nervous way he asked “You’re not a vegetarian, right?” on the front step of Destination Dog’s or how she pretended to like seafood when he ordered the crab dip, but they connected on a deeper level than they could have imagined. With endless trips to the Robert Wood Johnson library, hikes along New Jersey’s coast, and the small moments in between, the two quickly found themselves falling in love. Charles learned what a big Irish family meant and how serious a game of Catch Phrase can get. MaryKate learned how to catch crabs and the real way to say “calamari". In the winter of 2019 MaryKate made the move into the infamous ‘Cabin’ where she convinced Charles it was totally a good idea to get a dog. Shortly after, their pride and joy, Banjo, completed their little family. Surviving quarantine with wine fueled game nights, Charles decided NJ was where he wanted to commit his time for residency. Eventually, they settled down and bought a house in Somerset, NJ as Charles matched into his vascular surgery residency at Robert Wood Johnson. They know how to support each other and to never take life too seriously. Whether it’s Charles dragging her around to rugby games and the 12 Car Bombs of Christmas or MaryKate belting out Celine Dion and asking him to find 10 bales of hay for a scarecrow building competition - they always keep each other on their toes. It was clear that they were meant for each other and Charles found the perfect opportunity to propose on January 15th. He caught her by surprise (sort of) at a roller rink and one of their favorite songs “Brandy” by Looking Glass. If there is anything evident from the time that they met until now, it’s that it is very clear that this is still only the beginning.