It begins at a wedding, but not our own. Back in 2021, my aunt Ashley (who is not my fiancée, just to be clear) was getting married, and I was helping with the setup. At the same time, her close friend Ashley (yes, the one who is now my future wife) was also there helping out. Our first real conversation happened when I was sent on a very important mission: to get Uncrustables from the bridal Airbnb for the kids. Not exactly the most romantic first interaction, but it was a start. Later that night, the photo booth opened, and Ashley had a genius idea. Being a fellow cat lover (her cat Gerald and my cats Salem and Sabrina would later become the best of friends), she decided to take a picture with her phone showing Gerald's photo so he could "be in" the picture too. She showed me what she did, and since we'd already talked about how much we both loved cats, I did the same thing with Salem's picture. At the time, I just thought it was nice to meet a cute girl who loved cats as much as I did. But when my aunt and uncle saw our matching cat photos later, they decided fate needed a little nudge. A few weeks later, on Ashley's birthday, my aunt suggested I text her. I did, and we ended up talking all day. Then, in what might be the most "us" way possible, I invited her over to meet Sabrina, the new cat I'd just brought home from a camping trip in Idaho. (I know, not the smoothest move.) Our first official date was bowling. I showed up with my own shoes and two bowling balls in a backpack. (Somehow, this didn't scare her away.) Everything changed at another wedding, this time for one of Ashley's friends, Katie. That's where we shared our first kiss. Soon after, I asked her to be my girlfriend, and the rest is history. Three years, many Red Robin dates, and countless silly moments later, we've built a happy life together with our three furry companions (Gerald, Salem, and Sabrina, who now rule our apartment with tiny iron paws). Then, on Christmas morning in our home, I surprised her with rose petals leading to the tree where I was waiting with one very important question. She said yes. (The cats gave their royal approval, too.) And now, we're coming full circle. What began at someone else's wedding will reach its perfect conclusion at our own. We can't wait to celebrate our love surrounded by family, friends, and of course, plenty of cat pictures in the photo booth.