Rachel and Aaron met the first day of their freshmen year at Pottsville Area High School. Well, this was the first time Rachel noticed Aaron - the moment he walked into Algebra 2. After silently stalking him for 2 months, mutual friends introduced them to each other at halftime of a high school varsity football game. Their first official introduction was atypical, but if you know them well enough, you’ll understand: when Rachel first saw Aaron walking towards her at the football game, she panic-ran through cars with a pair of friends. After she finally calmed down, the two had an awkward, non-eye contact conversation before Aaron suggested they exchange phone numbers quickly so he could get back to his seat to watch the second half kickoff. Later that night, Aaron texted Rachel exactly what she wanted to hear, “Hey”, and less than a week later, on October 27, 2011, the two officially started dating.

Little did they know at the time that they just began a life-long relationship. Throughout high school, Rachel and Aaron pushed each other to be the best students, athletes, and people they could be. Both individually decided to attend Penn State University, University Park to study Engineering. Aaron is the son of two Penn State grads, and Rachel wanted to go to the #1 Architectural Engineering school in the nation. So by luck, the two were able to attend the same college together. Throughout college, the bond between them became strong, and Rachel and Aaron were able to help each other grow as individuals in a way that would not have been possible without the support of the other. Through internships, co-ops, study abroads, and full-time jobs that separated the two for periods of time ranging from a couple weeks to 2 years, the two still grew closer and closer. Once Aaron and Rachel were able to live in the same place again at the beginning of 2022, it only took 6 months for them to decide together that they were ready to start planning their wedding so they could finally celebrate their relationship with the friends and family that meant so much to them over those 13 years.