it's always been you

Our story isn’t flashy or dramatic — it’s just full of love, laughter, and a million small moments that brought us here. We met at what can only be described as a classic Morgantown, WV college house we called “Fife”. Fife is the kind of place with questionable furniture, loud music, and way too many people crammed into one living room. Never in a million years did either of us expect Fife to be the place where we would find our forever person. After meeting in 2021, we became the best of friends. At the time, Emily was attending West Virginia University and Brendan was living in upstate New York. We figured all we could ever really be was friends because of the distance. But the distance didn’t stop us one bit. Brendan would always find a reason to visit his friend Dylan at WVU… but let’s be real, he was mostly there to see Emily. Our friends and family joked that we were dating way before we actually were. For about a year, we constantly FaceTimed, leaned on each other for everything, and somewhere along the way, we realized this was more than just a friendship. On 6/22/22, right before our first amazing vacation to Put-in-Bay, Brendan asked Emily to be his girlfriend. That trip was one for the books — especially after we lost our very drunk friend and unofficial tour guide (we all have one of those, right?). So we wandered the island on our own and ended up creating one of many memories that made us inseparable. After Emily graduated in the summer of ’23, we decided to move in together with Brendan’s parents in upstate New York - for a very long year and a half (Love you guys!). But after saving some money, we made the move back to the wonderful city of Pittsburgh, where we now live in our own apartment. We then adopted the cutest grey kitty named Jo Mazz (yes, after Joe Mazzulla). Later, in June 2025, Brendan planned a trip for us to visit his parents on the Finger Lakes — one of our favorite places that will always feel like home. What Emily didn’t know was that he had also secretly arranged for her family to be there for a big surprise. At her favorite winery (seriously, it’s the best), Brendan asked Emily to marry him. We are so happy to be taking this step in our lives. Our love story has been nothing short of exciting, chaotic, meaningful, and full of laughter. We’re beyond grateful for the support and love of our family and friends through it all. If you know us, you know that one of our favorite things is traveling. We can’t wait to celebrate our love, see the world, and do this whole wedding thing our way — untraditionally, and unapologetically us.