They met at a frequent hangout spot shared by their separate and overlapping groups of friends, Hightopps Backstage Grille in Timonium. Emmie was celebrating her 23rd birthday, which had just passed, and mutual friends were planning to gather there that night for the festivities. Zach, not knowing Emmie at the time, simply thought it was a good excuse to go to Hightopps. As the night went on, Emmie joked that “no one is buying me shots” (did not need shots). Zach saw this as an opportunity to buy a round and, unfortunately, chose the worst possible option.. a Royal Flush. From that moment, a friendship began that would grow over the next four years, filled with countless Twofers nights at The Greene Turtle, Rockwell nights, Rafael deck parties, and playing softball together.

After years of their friends rooting for them, they finally began seeing each other after a (you guessed it) Baltimore Orioles game. Shortly after, on May 10th, they officially started dating, and by July they decided to move in together. Although they hadn’t been dating long, the years of friendship they had built made the decision a no-brainer and an easy transition. During their first couple of years together, they grew their family by three tails with their Golden Retrievers, Nattie, Bayley, and Holly. In June 2024, they purchased their first home in Taneytown, Maryland.

During their first day of vacation for Orioles Spring Training, on the beautiful beaches of Siesta Key FL, Zach popped the most important question—and of course, Emmie said “YESH!”