We're Getting Married!

She was a cocktail waitress in Manhattan. He played on a billiards team in that very bar. She said she's just really good at her job. He’d said, she kept finding excuses to come back to his table. What IS agreed on: his team's table, week after week, had the fullest water glasses in the entire place. Constant refills. Suspiciously attentive service. Truly unmatched hospitality. Somewhere between the jokes, back 'n forth banter, and probably a few too many drinks something special sparked. The duo started dating by the end of 2018, and it became clear this wasn’t just a pool hall crush. October 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, the pair moved in together! At the time, it was seen as equal parts “this makes sense!” and “let’s see what happens?”. Well, turns out… it worked really, REALLY well! By spring 2024, the couple moved into a (slightly) bigger place in Brooklyn, building a life that somehow feels both calming and exciting all at once. During this time, each have become the others biggest supporter. Stephen has continued doing incredible work as a spatial biologist in cancer research. Madison has been working her way through school, recently graduating Summa Cum Laude from The Fashion Institute of Technology. Then in July 2025, Stephen completely outdid himself. Madison was kept busy thanks to the clever help of her mom, Aunt Brittany, and friend Andrea. All keeping her distracted in the afternoon with massages and manicures. Stephen surprised her by driving down to her in St. Louis, and proposed in front of her childhood home! It was thoughtful, emotional, and incredibly perfect. There's a word that exists in Chinese called, "yuánfèn" The idea that two people are tied together by an invisible string that brings them together. When two paths cross that had no reason to, but somehow did. It's the belief that certain people are meant to find you. Not because you look for them, but because they’re destined to meet. And when you meet, you simply know; that's your yuánfèn.