Emily and I met in August of 2023 — where most people our age meet these days: the internet. More specifically, on Hinge (you know, the app that’s “meant to be deleted”™).

After our very first date, I knew she was the one. I pursued her with everything I had. Lucky for me, loving Emily is easy — as many of you already know.

It didn’t take long for both of us to realize that we wanted to spend forever together.

The early days of our relationship were filled with laughter, movie nights, and rotating between our homes — usually with our dear friend Rachel in tow. We’d often end the night putting on ridiculous little performances for her.

One of the only real challenges we had early on was figuring out how to merge our chaotic calendars — we just couldn’t seem to spend enough time together. Once we cracked that code, we’ve basically been inseparable ever since.

When Emily’s lease ended, we knew it was time to move in together. To mark the occasion, we added a new member to our growing crew — our first dog, October Kickflip Dutson-Love. (Yes, that is his real name.) He fit in perfectly with Emily’s dog June and my cat Stitch. Just like that, we became a little zoo… and we’ve loved every second of it.

We’ve now been living together for over a year, and somehow every night still feels like a special sleepover. We’ve turned our little bungalow into a cozy, quirky home that feels like us.

When we get a break from our schedules, we love hiking, traveling, and working on house projects together.

Every day, I fall more in love with Emily. And we truly can’t wait to share our special day with all of you.

Drew and I always seem to find ourselves in the kookiest situations. Whether we are accidentally making the local news to report a QR code scam, getting accosted by a naked woman in the Atlanta airport, or nearly becoming the new guardians of a stranger’s cat, there is truly never a dull moment when we are together. And from the very beginning, our first date set the tone for the adventure we were about to write together.

On a random Thursday night in August, I drove to meet a very tall man from Hinge whose opening line was, "I have been working from home, so you are the first human I have had contact with all day!" We sat listening to a woman sing very questionable Billie Eilish covers while sharing a beer and waiting for our dinner, except the dinner never arrived. After an hour of swapping stories and laughing until our bellies hurt, we discovered the truth: the restaurant did not have a kitchen at all. Two years later, after the brewery has long since closed, we still do not know who we ordered from.

Soon after that unforgettable first date, we went on our first camping trip with my dog June. The campsite owners greeted us with possibly the worst pineapple upside down cake ever made, then explained that they usually sell farm fresh eggs but recently realized they did not like eating eggs when they knew the chicken who laid them, so the eggs on offer were from Kroger instead. Watching Drew navigate every odd twist of that weekend with humor and so much grace made something very clear: this was my person. My co author in the strange, hilarious, ever surprising story of life.

When we moved in together, our little family started growing in the most joyful way. We welcomed our sweet, silly October, followed by our kitty Barbara the next year. Since then, our home has become a swirl of fun, fur, and the kind of love that shows up in pet hair on every piece of clothing we own.

Drew has this incredible ability to make people laugh even in the most chaotic of circumstances, and he approaches everyone and everything with a kind and generous heart. For a long time, I thought I needed someone who would rein in my chaotic energy. But being with Drew has shown me that what I really needed was someone who would fan the flames, who would love the spark, not tame it. He is everything good and kind and curious in this world. He is my biggest cheerleader, my truest friend, and the one person whose bedtime stories I hope to hear forever.

We cannot wait for you to join us on May 2 and help us kick off the next chapter of our story with a denim party to remember!