"This is giving Sweden or Denmark vibes", Emily commented on a Hinge picture of Jacob sitting at a cafe in Stockholm. Jacob loved to travel. He figured that based on her comment, this internet stranger did too. He replied, probably with something a bit corny, and they hit it off. Only later did he find out she hadn't been to Sweden. She had zoomed in on the title of the cafe above his head and searched it on Google Maps. (Emily interjects: “in my defense, Purdue was sparse on cute boys who could cook and loved to travel... I had to catch his attention somehow.”) The first few weeks of April 2021 were filled with coffee and cooking dates. They made pasta and bagels and drank coffee at Copper Moon. They went on walks through Purdue's campus and had many John Daly's (an alcoholic Arnold Palmer) at Harry's. Jacob was graduating in a month, so this was just a bit of fun - nothing serious. He was starting a rotational program at work that would have him moving every 8 months. A couple months and one move later, Emily and Jacob were still seeing each other, even though they said they wouldn't. Three hour drives between Purdue and Cincinnati became the norm. Neither wanted a long distance relationship, but by the time of the next move, they'd fallen too in love. Independently of each other, Emily got into UNC for grad school and Jacob moved to DC for his next rotation. They both made the best decision for their careers, but somehow were still only a drive apart, just a bit longer of a drive. In Durham, Emily took Jacob to his first North Carolina barbeque. They went to UNC basketball games and strolled Duke Gardens. In DC, Jacob took Emily Smithsonian hopping and to many happy hours, DC's favorite pastime. As luck would have it, each consecutive move found them further apart geographically, and this time it was across continents as Jacob relocated to Stockholm. Sweden was the most formative time in their relationship. They grew accustomed to virtual date nights and phone calls at odd hours. They'd watch movies on FaceTime and order each other food to their apartments. It wasn't easy, but come May after classes finished, Emily took a leap of faith and moved in with Jacob for the summer. Two years of dating and their first home together was the tiniest 350 square foot apartment where doing the dishes put the their mattress in jeopardy of soaking up dishwater. But it was the most incredible location. They fika-ed throughout the city and bounced around Europe from Edinburgh to Krakow, Riga to Cyprus. They got to play tour guide when friends and family visited, and had some unforgettable times at Lollapalooza and Djurgarden. Jacob even took Emily back to the cafe where that famous Hinge profile picture was taken - only to find out it was Sweden's equivalent of Starbucks. Even though they were prepared to handle any amount of long distance at this point, Emily left Sweden that fall hoping Jacob could secure his final assignment in Durham. And with a lot of good fortune, he did. Ever since, they've been building their life together in North Carolina filled with amazing friends, food, and of course, travel. Thank you all for your contributions along the way that made our love story a reality. We can't wait to celebrate our wedding with you.

LUH-MAH-ZUV