Our journey started at the University of Maryland, College Park, where we met through a mutual friend. From the very beginning, there was something special between us—though we saw it a little differently at first! Deja thought Adam was attractive and funny but maybe a little too confident, while Adam after that short interaction with Deja told his friend, "I need to see her again." It wasn’t long before Adam made his move sending Deja a DM on Instagram he casually asked what her last class of the day was. When she replied, "ECON200, why?", he simply said, "I wanted to know if I could take you to lunch." And just like that, a simple lunch turned into something so much more.

Since those early days of grabbing lunch at the Stamp Student Union, we’ve grown together in so many ways. We met young and have celebrated countless milestones side by side—graduating college, landing our first jobs, buying our first cars, moving into our first apartments, taking our first trips together, most recently, buying our first home together in DC. But one of the most special milestones is our dog Cookie. About a year into our relationship, Deja got Cookie as her dog—but it didn’t take long for Cookie to steal Adam’s heart, too. She is truly our biggest joy in everyday life, and anyone who knows us knows we are completely obsessed with her. (We would totally make her a bridesmaid if we could!)

We want to take a moment to thank our family for the role they’ve played in molding us into the people we are for each other. To our friends, thank you for growing with us through so many stages of our relationship. We are incredibly grateful to have had you all along this journey—as individuals, as a couple, and now, as we step into this new chapter as husband and wife. We can’t wait for this next chapter—more memories, and the chance to create new traditions together as husband and wife. And of course, we’re beyond excited to celebrate with all of you on our big day!