Sydney and Gunnar met in 2018 while working together at a local Italian restaurant (R.I.P. Brighton Place Puccini’s). On their very first interaction, Gunnar was struggling to pour a beer for a customer without turning it into a full glass of foam. Sydney jokingly asked if he had ever actually been a server before, or if he lied in his interview to get the job. She showed him how to properly tilt the beer glass for a foam-free pour, and from that point on, their exchanges were never again just about pouring beer and serving pizza. Early on, Gunnar overheard Sydney telling their coworkers a story about a Halloween party she had gone to years prior, where she wanted to go as Darth Vader. Everyone told her not to show up to her first college Halloween party as Darth Vader, so she showed up as Darth Vader anyway. It was only the second or third time they had ever met, but after she walked away, he turned to a coworker and said, “If my girl wanted to go as Darth Vader for Halloween, I’d put a ring on it.” Maybe it was manifestation or maybe he had underestimated the power of the dark side, but he had just spoke his future into existence. As coworkers, their connection grew in the weird, small ways that made every shift more fun. Sydney would walk up to Gunnar with her hand closed, holding whatever she could grab from the kitchen, whether it was an olive, a handful of crushed red pepper flakes, or anything else nearby, put it tightly into her fist so he couldn’t see what it was, and offer it to Gunnar. Without ever asking what it was, Gunnar would open his hand under her fist and take the item. On one occurrence, it was a parmesan packet from a to-go order. He keeps that 7-year-old packet of cheese in his wallet to this day (for the memories, of course, and not the occasional emergency need for a packet of parmesan). Gunnar finally got Sydney’s phone number in a way that perfectly matched both of them. Sydney had made a habit of taking exactly one of their manager’s business cards each day so that he thought customers were taking it with the intention of complaining, a prank she lovingly referred to as “the long con.” Gunnar knew this, so he wrote his phone number on the back of one card and slid it into the middle of the stack. Almost two weeks later, Sydney finally picked that card, found the number, and asked him if she should call it. She immediately reached for the restaurant phone, but Gunnar stopped her and told her she had to call it from her own phone so it couldn’t be traced back to the restaurant. She called the number from her own phone, and he answered while standing right in front of her. He called her that night to ask her on their first date, which was, appropriately, a Star Wars movie. They haven’t spent a day apart since. Throughout the seven years that have passed, they have adopted a son (he’s a cat, but that’s neither here nor there) and built a life together that is filled with laughter and love. They are happy to announce that they will be closing this chapter of their lives and opening a beautiful new one with a celebration surrounded by loving friends and family on October 10th, 2026.