Like any great 21st-century romance, ours began on Hinge—but it didn’t stay surface-level for long. James didn’t just send a generic message—he deep-dived through Ash’s profile, clicked into her Instagram, and scrolled until he found a photo that truly caught his attention: Ash and their mom at a Doctor Who convention. As a fellow fan, he messaged her asking about their cosplay costumes (which he already knew, but hey, it was a great icebreaker). Ash didn’t see the message until the next morning and responded right away. But James was at work—without his phone—so in true “cut to the chase” fashion, Ash told him she hated texting and asked if he wanted to grab drinks. Despite learning he was from Jersey (a minor red flag in their book), they met at a barcade in Philly (costing James a toll, so sacrifices were made on both parts from the beginning). They played pinball, talked for hours, and forgot all about dinner. From that night on, something just clicked. Ash knew early on that James was special. Within a few weeks, she told him she was falling for him. James took a little longer to say it back—he had never told anyone outside of his family that he loved them—but when he did, it was clear it came from the most genuine place. James says he realized Ash was “the one” twice: once during a Dungeons & Dragons night when Ash crafted themed snacks (including a dragon made out of fruits, marshmallow 'flaming arrows' and cheese made to look like dice), and again while watching them build a spice cake castle and a Jell-O shot moat. Somewhere between laughing, creating, and playing together, he knew life would never be boring with them. Their proposal was a perfect reflection of their relationship: thoughtful, funny, slightly chaotic, and full of love. James popped the question outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art—after a photo shoot, some not-so-subtle nail appointment scheming, and a lot of cleverly dropped clues that Ash picked up on immediately. (So much for surprises.) Still, surrounded by family, love, and nerves, it was beyond perfect. Our dream is to never stop having fun, surprising each other, and growing together. Our families and friends mean the world to us, and we hope they’ll continue to share in our journey, supporting us, laughing with us, and being part of the loud, loving chaos we call life. If you made it all the way to the end of this seemingly never-ending story, you must really be excited for this wedding! We are so honored to have you all at our wedding (whether that be in-person or in spirit for our loved ones unable to travel). We're just so thankful to have such an amazing support team to cheer us on in this next chapter.