How We Met Every great love story begins somewhere timeless and romantic - a chance meeting in a bookstore, a shared umbrella in the rain, a coffee shop glance across the room. Ours started in the DMs. On October 27, 2023, Jessica did something bold, brave, and slightly out of character - she slid into a stranger’s DMs. While scrolling Instagram, she landed on the 'Young Professionals of Atlanta' page and saw Ryan pop up as a suggested friend. Mutual connections? Check. Cute profile picture? Check. Mild curiosity mixed with fate? Double check. That was all the convincing she needed. She sent what she believed to be a smooth, casual, extremely professional message: “Hey Ryan. Sorry for the random add. You were in my suggested friends, and I saw you follow 'Young Professionals of Atlanta.' I just joined the group and was looking to make some connections!" Translation: "Hi, you’re cute, and I’m inventing an excuse to talk to you!" Ryan replied the next day. Strong start. Respectable timing. And then… radio silence. For *two months*. Not that Jessica was waiting. Definitely not. Totally forgot he existed. Completely unbothered. (She remembers the date though. Just saying.) On January 8, 2024, Ryan returned from the Instagram Witness Protection Program: “Hey, I'm so sorry - I never go through my Instagram messages. Feel free to text me if you want! Here's my number. I'd love to join you sometime.” Jessica considered responding sometime in March, just to keep things even. She waited one full day... She texted him, lightly roasting him for the delay and - because she’s honest - admitted she was still interested. Ryan quickly pivoted from “guy who takes two months to respond” to “guy who asks you on a date,” and just like that… a DM turned into destiny.

(AKA: The Night Ryan Learned About $20 Cocktails) They met for their first date at El Valle in Atlanta, a place Jessica suggested without realizing the cocktails were priced like small investments. Ryan briefly wondered if he had just signed up for a lifetime of luxury dining. (Spoiler: he had. And he’s thrilled about it.) But something bigger happened that night. They talked for hours and discovered something almost unsettling: they were ridiculously alike. Same values. Same humor. Same ambition. Same outlook on life, family, faith, politics - even similar heritage. It felt less like meeting someone new and more like meeting the other half of a personality split into two bodies. They started comparing stories, values, goals, and the similarities just kept stacking up. Jessica remembers looking at him and thinking, “Why does this feel so right already?” Ryan remembers thinking, “Thank god, she’s real.” (He had briefly considered the possibility that Jessica was an extremely well-curated fake Instagram account. Instead, she showed up looking even more beautiful in person. Major win.) They left that night knowing one thing for sure: This was not going to be just another date.

One dinner turned into countless more. Texts turned into phone calls that lasted way past bedtime. Inside jokes formed at record speed. They didn’t just start dating, they started building a life together almost immediately, piece by piece, conversation by conversation. They discovered they were both huge food lovers - the kind of people who plan entire days around what they’re going to eat. That shared passion quickly expanded into a shared love of travel, adventure, and experiencing the world beyond their comfort zones. Ryan’s natural wanderlust pulled Jessica into a new level of exploration, and together they created a relationship filled with airport kisses, new cities, unfamiliar languages, and unforgettable meals. In their first two years together, they visited 15 countries. Ecuador, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all the way to Thailand, Taiwan, and beyond. Each trip added another layer to their story: missed trains that turned into magical detours, hole-in-the-wall restaurants that became lifelong memories, long walks through foreign streets talking about their future. But the magic of their relationship isn’t just in the passport stamps. It’s in the quiet, ordinary moments too. Cooking dinner together while listening to music, long walks in the park, laughing until they can’t breathe, cuddling up and watching their favorite shows, date nights adventuring around the city, supporting each other through stressful workdays, and having hard conversations, yet choosing each other anyway. They challenge one another. They push one another. They help each other grow, even when growth is uncomfortable. They’ve seen each other tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and vulnerable… and loved each other more, not less. They are best friends in the truest sense. Teammates. Each other’s calm in the chaos and biggest cheerleader in every dream. They don’t just have fun together. They do life together.

(Because subtle has never really been Ryan’s thing) After a year and ten months of building a love story that already felt bigger than both of them, Ryan decided it was time to make it official in a way that was perfectly, unmistakably *him*. At a rooftop dinner at Nobu in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, with the city lights glittering below them and the energy of one of their favorite places in the world, Ryan got down on one knee and asked Jessica to spend forever with him. It was beyond thoughtful. It was incredibly romantic. It was beautifully over-the-top. She said yes through happy tears, a racing heart, and the overwhelming certainty that she had just agreed to the greatest adventure of her life.

Travel has always been part of their love story, so choosing where to get married was never just about picking a pretty place on a map. It had to feel like *them*. When they visited Portugal in February 2025, something clicked. The warmth of the people, the history in the streets, the incredible food, the romance in the air - it felt like a place where their kind of love belonged. It quickly became one of their favorite countries in the world, and they knew they wanted to start their marriage somewhere that reflected the way they see life: beautiful, meaningful, full of culture, and meant to be experienced together. They are beyond excited to bring their favorite people into this next chapter - to celebrate love, laughter, food, travel, and the start of forever in a place that already holds a piece of their hearts. --- And to think… If Jessica had never sent that one brave, slightly strategic, definitely-not-just-flirting Instagram message… Their paths might never have crossed. So here’s to bold first moves, unforgettable adventures across the world, beautiful yet unexpected beginnings, and a love story that started with a DM… …and turned into forever. 🤍