Our love story began in Philadelphia, back in 2014. Ryan and Nicole had met through what Ryan calls "the interwebs." Emails turned into texts, texts turned into phone calls, and so the time had come to inevitably meet in person. It was the eve of Nicole's 30th birthday when Ryan called to say hello. "What are you up to?" Ryan asked. "Going out with my friend, Amanda, in the city tonight for my birthday. You should stop by," Nicole answered. Two hours later, blissfully unaware that Ryan would actually "stop by," Nicole got a text. She was told to leave Howl at the Moon and come outside because "I'm here, but that line is out of control and there is no way me and my brother, Sean, are going in there." And so it began, with an awkward hug in the middle of the street between Jose Pistolas and Howl at the Moon. Ryan finally popped the question 5 years later by recruiting help from their dog, Mosby. On a Sunday night in February of 2018, Nicole came home from a long day at work to be greeted by Mosby in the living room, as she always was. Only this time, he had a marriage proposal written on white loose-leaf in blue sharpie and shoved into his dog harness. When Nicole entered the dining room, she saw an engagement ring threaded onto the plastic stem of an artificial rose, sprinkled with cat kibble, and being gnawed on by their cat, Thor. In the kitchen, Ryan was stirring red gravy in a pot. He turned his head and muttered, "no good?" And so we will now be entering this exciting new chapter in our lives, with Sean and Amanda by our side again, just like they were five years ago, only this time as groomsman and bridesmaid as we say our vows.