Scott and Alex were both raised in Fremont, California. They attended different elementary schools, but fate would bring them together at Centerville Junior High School, second period Honors US History, to be exact. Alex thought Scott and his best friend Jared (sitting together in the back of the class) were doofses. Scott thought Alex (front row, obviously) was a goody goody. They were both right, and they largely ignored each other.

As anyone who went to Washington High School will tell you (and there will be quite a few present at this wedding), there weren’t that many “nerd classes” in the curriculum. So, it was inevitable that Scott and Alex (and Jared) would meet in a class again. Fittingly enough, that class was sixth period Honors Physics in junior year, where they were assigned to the same lab group. The three have been best friends ever since.

That’s it?! You didn’t date in high school?! After all the not-date lunch dates and not-date movie dates, you never even held hands??? NO, MOM(S), WE DIDN’T. It all came down to timing. Alex and Scott were both in relationships when they met, and by the time they were both single again four years later, Alex was at USC and Scott was 350 miles away at UC Santa Cruz, which was a deterrent for Scott apparently.

Blissfully ignorant of Scott’s hang-ups about distance, Alex embarked on back-to-back study abroad programs in Rome and London. When Alex finally did move back to the Bay (after another summer in London and a year in LA at law school… lolz), Scott promptly moved across the country to begin his PhD in particle physics at Syracuse University. A few months later, Alex took a job in Copenhagen that would later move her to London for the foreseeable future. But despite all the distance and time zones, Alex and Scott did make the effort to continue to see each other in person whenever they could (see our “Gallery” tab for proof), and they talked every week. #friendzone

In February 2020, Scott was transferred to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. A month later, Europe entered its first COVID lockdown. Alex and Scott were stuck in their homes for months, but at least only one timezone apart. Weekly chats turned into nightly calls, and soon Scott realized what a doofus he truly was. The travel restrictions were lifted on Wednesday, July 29th. Scott was at Alex’s door on the 31st. Not only did Scott face catching COVID, but he risked his degree, his job, and deportation for one weekend. Did one grand gesture make up for wasting 14 years of Alex’s life? No. But like, it helped. Alex made a Google Doc of points for Scott to address, and once those were answered to her satisfaction, they decided to become A THING. No-longer-doofus Scott had successfully derived the formula [Alex + distance] > [no Alex + dying alone], so Alex & Scott became official on August 1, 2020.

Navigating the travel restrictions of four countries during a pandemic has been rough. At its worst, Alex and Scott were kept nine time zones apart for a full five months during Omicron. Super. They are also still paying two rents in two countries. $uper. Now that travel restrictions are starting to lift, suffice to say Alex and Scott are on track to achieve British Airways Gold status in record time.

Despite all these interfering forces, Alex and Scott continue to gravitate towards each other. Scott proposed to Alex on November 12, 2021 in London, next to their first Christmas tree. Scott intends to move to London as soon as possible, and Alex is being very patient. Like she has been. FOR FOURTEEN YEARS.