It was 2019 when Stuart and Tina both lived in Richmond, Virginia and liked each other on Hinge. They had their first date at Garden Grove and continued to visit some of their now-favorite places together on successive dates, like Triple Crossing and Cobra Cabana. But despite their spark at the beginning, after a few months they agreed to just be friends. Not long after, Tina moved to Washington, DC and the COVID-19 pandemic hit. During the pandemic, the two became fast best friends and frequently found reasons to meet in the middle between DC and Richmond, taking their dogs on hiking trips to the mountains and spending weekends at Airbnbs. They became an important piece of each other's lives, becoming almost family. In fact, they'd frequently joke about how they should get married as a prank and would live a remarkably happy life together. But you know, just as a joke. It took years for them to realize that what they were feeling were crushes. Eventually they rekindled thanks to a night out with friends and some yogurt-flavored Soju. The rest, as they say, was history. They moved to San Diego to fulfill Tina's dream of living on the West coast shortly after and continued to build their relationship. After deciding to get married and picking out their own rings after long talks about what marriage would look like, Stuart proposed at the Boygenius show on Halloween. On Christmas, Tina proposed back with a cowboy hat ring box in Stu's stocking. Since moving back to Richmond, they've been focusing on planning their wedding and can't be more excited to spend an evening with everyone they love most. Above all they enjoy spending time with their little family of animals: Cairo, Mochi, Valentine, Tilly, and the memory of their beloved Josie. Thank you for being part of our story--we love you all and we can't wait to continue this beautiful life with you.