Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when meeting one’s soulmate in the usual way felt nearly impossible, Robert and Bridget decided to try their luck at love via the popular dating app Hinge. That may not sound like the organic beginnings of a love story people in their early twenties envision for themselves. However, the pair quickly realized that the algorithmic coincidence that brought them together must have been fate. In addition to Robert’s tall, blonde, and handsome dating profile photos, one of his fun facts suggested he hoped to have a barn one day that he could call his woodworking shop. Bridget, whose father, John, had an old woodworking barn at their home, impetuously reached out with the creative pickup line, “I have a barn!” On November 15th, 2020, Robert, who had been studying for his stock trading license test for six months, picked Bridget up for their first date to Fishbones in Chelmsford the evening before the exam. In addition to the looming nerves about his exam, Robert had the pleasure of meeting Bridget, her parents, and her three dogs before the date even began. Once the nerves settled, the two chatted like old friends for hours and began the love story they have cherished over the past four years. On the drive home, Bridget, a first-year English teacher at her alma mater, Lowell Catholic High School, showed Robert the school. Coincidentally, Robert explained how his grandparents, Frank (Archie) and Diana, actually met when they were students at the same school. As they rode through Lowell, Robert showed Bridget his favorite spots from his Umass Lowell days, all the same bars Bridget had spent her one year of legal drinking before the pandemic. They officially began their courtship the morning after Christmas of 2020 during a romantic ski getaway to the Mount Washington Hotel in the White Mountains – the same place Robert would propose three years later. Due to the mid-forties temperatures and pouring rain all weekend, their ski plans backfired. Winter blues were all forgotten when Robert asked Bridget to be his girlfriend on a rainy afternoon walk to the scenic Flume Gorge waterfall. A month later, Robert told Bridget he loved her for the first time on the basement floor of his post-college home, his sister Elizabeth’s house in Nashua.

As the months and years went on, Robert and Bridget became one another’s best friends. Those who know them best know that their laughter and silliness with one another are unmatched. They quickly began seeing one another’s family and traditions as their own. Robert grew to love watching holiday Charlie Brown specials five times a season, Fourth of July celebrations at Mount Washington, and summers in the Sheehy beach house in Seabrook. The couple became snowbirds, flying down to Naples, FL, three consecutive February vacation weeks in a row to stay with Ma and Da. When summers came, Bridget became an official member of the Archambault Hell Week crew, living in a beach house with Rob’s twenty-five family members, performing karaoke against her will, and attending evening parlor meetings. After many visits to Rob Jr. and Anna’s family home in Orleans, Bridget became an official Cape Codder. Today, Bridget and Rob live in Bridget’s childhood home with her family in Lowell. Here, Robert spends time woodworking in John’s barn, caring for the family’s three golden retrievers, and preparing the yard for the wedding!

On October 21st, 2023, Robert and Bridget made the same trip to the Mount Washington Hotel for some leaf peeping - it was raining again. Bridget, who wanted to reschedule for a sunnier weekend, was annoyed and surprised by stoic Robert digging his heels in about something. He insisted that they make the best of it, and they rode a gondola to the top of the Bretton Woods slope for lunch. As they ate lunch by a mountain-view window, Robert excused himself to the bathroom about four times, and Bridget’s suspicions began. Robert played it off as they finished lunch. Afterwards, he led her on a short walk to the summit with breathtaking views of the presidential mountain range, where he sweetly proposed. Behind them to capture the moment on film were Robert’s sister’s Sarah and Elizabeth, and his brother-in-law Nik. The couple was warmly greeted by their families back at the hotel and shared a beautiful dinner for the first time as fiances.

Our two-year engagement has brought us so much joy and excitement for all the memories to come. We can't wait to celebrate the culmination of this chapter of our lives and the beginning of our next adventure together with you this August!