Melissa and Michael locked eyes for the first time at the birthday party of friend and groomsman Matt Grichnik in San Francisco in 2018. They felt an instant connection, went out to bars, and chatted about cool topics like personal finance and the Atlanta Braves. Then in 2019, Matt and bridesmaid Danielle Marlow got married in the Bahamas. At the wedding, Michael and Melissa reconnected and danced the night away. They sat down at the blackjack table with the same statistical odds index card, setting the tone for an adventurous, sometimes nerdy relationship. Michael accidentally told Melissa he loved her at the blackjack table. Michael and Melissa kept in touch after the wedding, even though Michael lived in Chicago and Melissa in San Fransisco. Their first official date was in Singapore where Michael was studying abroad. Michael cut his study abroad experience short in March 2020 as COVID took hold in Asia. Michael and Melissa decided to live with Michael’s parents on a “short-term basis” until things returned to normal. For the next year and a half, Michael and Melissa bounced back and forth between living nomadically, Atlanta, and Central Pennsylvania where Michael’s parents have a condo at Penn State. Michael and Melissa look back fondly at the “COVID years” as it allowed them to spend quality time with each other and their loved ones. It was during this time that they fell in love. By September 2021, they were ready to make a new life for themselves and settle down in New York City. In March 2022, Melissa's and Michael's parents met for the first time. Shortly thereafter, Michael asked Melissa's parents for Melissa's hand in marriage. In June, Michael and Melissa went to Banff, Canada on a hiking trip. Michael proposed to Melissa at the Little Beehive viewpoint over Lake Louise…. And that leads us to today! Thank you to our friends and family for supporting us through our love story. We can’t wait to celebrate our love with you! ❤️