In October 2020, we each had plans to spend the night out with our friends in Philadelphia, but that's the funny thing about plans -- sometimes when they don't work out, it's because something better is in store. We each arrived in Philly in a group of 4, and made our way to Bru Craft & Wurst on Chestnut St. Since this was prime COVID-era, we couldn't have more than 6 people at a table, so upon arriving at the restaurant, we had to split into 2 groups. Bryce and Melissa ended up sitting across from each other that night, and the rest is history. Just two people meeting when the world around us was in chaos, not looking to make any connections and yet finding the most meaningful connection of all. We parted ways that night, and the next day went out for coffee. Later that afternoon, there was an Oktoberfest event at a restaurant near Melissa's apartment, which we attended together. The server accidentally spilled an entire boot of beer on Bryce, who laughed it off in typical Bryce fashion. We joked about being each other's "first marriage" that weekend, but somewhere deep down, we both knew it wasn't a joke at all, and that we would be more than each other's "first marriage." In fact, our meeting marked some of the last "firsts" we would experience as individuals... and little did we know that fateful night in Philadelphia and the ensuing weekend would mark the last "first date" either one of us would experience. The best part of the story of our meeting is that 2 of our friends who were there that night are now in the bridal party, and what serendipity it is to be able to celebrate our love with the people who were there from the very beginning.