We originally met in a ballroom dance class in college; Rachel was a TA for fun, and Robby was fulfilling a graduation requirement! While it might seem like the nearly-perfect romantic opening, we didn't start dating until a year later when we were once again in the same class, this time in an undergraduate course prepping for our teaching degrees. We were working on the same group project (not something you usually hear in the storybooks) and there must be something special about recording educational podcasts and bad Australian accents! We went on our first date on April 5th at Sal's by Victor, a Williamsburg staple. After a night of Italian food and lackluster bowling (but so many laughs!), we both knew we had found someone special.

Since that first date, we have made so many memories together! We both navigated our way through grad school, surviving terribly small dorms and houses, Williamsburg humidity, and student teaching. COVID hit that spring and we were both forced home early, Rachel to Leesburg and Robby to Chesapeake. We both graduated and began our teaching careers under the most uncertain terms possible, but wrangling online Zoom meetings became second-nature and we got the hang of teaching pretty quickly (we'd like to think)! We also became pros at staying strong together despite 200+ miles between us. Daily calls on the way home from work, Facetimes to watch shows together, and frequent trips to spend weekends at one home or the other (SPECIAL shout-outs to I-64 and I-95) gave us so many opportunities to create memories and have fun, even if we had to fight through the workweeks to get there! We also developed a healthy love of traveling together, with multiple trips to Philadelphia, explorations of D.C., journeys down to the beach, and even our first trip abroad together to England. All of these strengthened our love and enjoyment when spending time with each other, so we made the decision to move in together! From building a lovely home (apartment), to a new school and area for Robby, the adventures and amazing memories only grew!

After five years of dating, we decided it was time to take things to the next level! We looked at rings together (Robby's jewelry knowledge alone was not quite sufficient), and after many secret arrangements were made, Robby was able to plan a semi-surprise proposal centered around a day back in Williamsburg to wander campus. After a totally casual trip to the salon that morning and a fun lunch in Colonial Williamsburg, Robby got down on one knee at sunset at the top of William & Mary's Sunken Gardens! A secretly planted photographer captured the moment Rachel said yes, as well as a full photoshoot afterwards. Some mild trespassing to visit the gym where we met in ballroom dancing and a dinner at our favorite Williamsburg restaurant led to the end of the night and the final surprise, a stay in a colonial B&B! In the time since, we have only grown closer and more excited to finally graduate from fiancées to husband and wife! From house hunting, to wedding planning, to working through our sixth year of teaching (already!), to the little things that make up each and every day, we know we have found our perfect complements in each other. We are looking forward to a wonderful wedding day, and many more years of love ahead!