We met on the first day of kindergarten. Maybe. We definitely met again in first grade, when Julia's first memory of Jacob was him throwing up into a trash can in the classroom. (see our gallery for our first and fourth grade class photos lol.) We don't really remember each other from elementary school, but we became good friends in middle school through our mutual friend group (many of whom will be at the wedding :)). Some of these friends pushed Jacob to ask Julia to be his girlfriend wayy back in 2009, to which her response was "sure". We dated for a year and broke up in freshman year of high school when Jacob told Julia that "it's been long enough." HA. We started becoming friends again in junior year and quickly started dating in 2013 (that's the anniversary we celebrate! 8th grade doesn't count!). Our lives were forever changed in 2014, when Julia's father unexpectedly passed away, and we went to college 1000 miles apart at University of Illinois and Wellesley. (Throughout this difficult period, Jacob was an amazing support and I don't know what I would've done without him.) Maintaining a long-distance relationship throughout college was challenging, but it got easier when we studied abroad in Amsterdam together (pictures also in the gallery!). After college, we both moved back in with our parents in New York. Our first time living together was with 3 other friends in a 5-bedroom apartment in the Financial District of Manhattan (yes, we each had our own bedroom--would highly recommend when first living together!). What that apartment lacked in cleanliness, it more than made up for in fun, laughter, and friendship (love you, Noah, Luke, and Matt!). In 2023, we finally started living just the two of us and thinking about the future. Although we had realized deep down long ago that we wanted to be together forever, we now felt we were ready to sign the papers and gather our loved ones to celebrate! Our love has always felt like a magnetic pull, like we've been drawn to each other from the beginning. We've grown so much together and with all of you throughout the years -- this story is incomplete without the love and support we've received to help us get here. So we can't wait to celebrate how far we've come and cheers to our future with you!