Despite growing up in the same state, we still grew up 8 hours away. Eventually we found ourselves living on the same island. Our love for coffee helped to bring us together. I had been working at a local Starbucks in my hometown of Farmingdale and Matthew in a lab just down the road. As a second job, he decided to apply to the same Starbucks where I would soon then become his trainer. Teaching Matthew how to make caramel macchiatos and cappuccinos may have been what started our relationship as coworkers but hanging out after work at the Dark House Tavern is what helped transition our relationship into something deeper. Matt making the bold choice of driving almost 3 hours for a birthday party for a woman he’d only just met a few weeks prior, is what made me look at him in a new light. Although we can not say it was love at first sight, letting the nature of our relationship grow at its own pace helped build the foundation of what our love is today. We are best friends at our very core and we both love hard. We would not have it any other way. We are now both very excited to be celebrating our love with friends and family and starting this next chapter of our lives.