We cannot wait to celebrate our love with you. Please use this website to explore all of the details surrounding the wedding weekend. Thank you for being part of the memories that will be sure to last a lifetime! Love - DJ and Derrick

Our first encounter occurred in Chicago at a DHL warehouse where I, in true fashion, was walking around in high heels. Derrick took notice to this unusual operations outfit and from that moment a friendship was built. Soon after this first meeting, Derrick moved back to the Cincinnati area for work. Working in very close proximity on a daily basis allowed us to get to know one another very well both professionally and personally. As friends we participated in many Cincinnati happenings, including a Zac Brown Band concert at Great American Ballpark. At this concert Derrick walked around the entire stadium to find me the one vendor selling chicken tenders, but of course we were just friends. We remained as just friends for two years though the entire time my loved ones were insisting Derrick had feelings for me beyond friendship. I was blissfully ignorant and thought it was perfectly normal for a good guy friend to bring me cookies to work just because or take me out on a not so cheap (sorry Derrick) birthday dinner. It was in January 2020 when I realized he meant more to me. I was in a car accident and Derrick was who I called to come and help me. I had plenty of friends I could have called but it was him who I turned to in a time of need. I knew that our relationship was special. Eventually I made it known that I wanted to pursue things and the rest is history! We officially began to date just as the pandemic was starting, which reenforced that we just genuinely enjoyed spending time together. Derrick makes me laugh every single day. There is no one else who can put me at ease like he can and no one that encourages me more. I cannot wait to spend forever together, and I am certain with Derrick life will never be boring!

When I first read a work email about a colleague named DJ who was promoted to a role in my department, I honestly thought that this person was a male. Well damn was I wrong! I met DJ in person inside of a DHL warehouse in the Chicago Ohare facility in 2018. As you can imagine, DJ was by far the best dressed one in the place and I thought she was absolutely stunning. A few months after meeting I moved from Chicago back to Cincinnati for work and we just so happened to be based out of the same office. As I was transitioning back to the area, DJ kindly invited me to attend a wine tasting event on a random weekday with some friends. With this, we quickly became friends outside of the workplace but never crossed the line. We also sat only 6 feet from one another in the office so you can only imagine how much of a challenge it was for me to stay professional at all times. Of course, DJ was absolutely clueless that I was madly in love with her but honestly, I was confident that she would 100% shoot me down if I attempted to ask her out. For 2 years I was able to take full advantage in observing her tendencies. I noticed how she reacted in stressful situations or responded to difficult people and how she always gave extra thought to things that most people would have given almost no attention to. I also witnessed almost daily how much family meant to DJ. Family is everything and this was such a huge ticket item that I knew I had to have in a spouse. I was honest with my parents about having feelings for DJ but I felt that I was risking my career and also hers if we started to date and things didn't work out. On one cold winter weekday morning I received a call from DJ stating that she had been in a car accident and needed my help. On the way to pick her up, I was thinking, damn she could have asked 10 other people for this ride but OMG YES, I am the one going to pick her up! Some time and some flirting after the accident, DJ had a group of friends over for dinner and I was invited. After dinner, I stayed later then everyone, and this is when DJ and I finally kissed! Soon after the first kiss COVID hit. DJ and I dated for almost a year before we could go out to a nice sit-down dinner in restaurant for a date. This challenge was something that we actually enjoyed, using our creativity on how we would spend our time together. I knew pretty early on that regardless of what we ended up doing, I just wanted to spend my time with her. After almost 3 years of dating, DJ still continues to surprise me. She takes all of life's challenges in stride and exhibits thoughtfulness on a level that most people have never experienced. I love how supportive she is to her friends and prioritizes her family. She is also gorgeous, driven, and an incredibly loving fiancé!