It all started with sushi. Natalie had never tried it before, so Blake suggested a sushi restaurant as an adventurous first date. Natalie gamely agreed, and so, on the fateful evening of December 6, 2019, they met over extravagant tiki drinks and the Sushi Deluxe special at Nooshi. They had a grand time, and no one got food poisoning. One year and 12 days later, Blake proposed to Natalie on a bench in a garden at the University of Virginia. The location was special for Natalie because that's where she went to school. The location was special for both of them as a couple because they had sat on that very bench earlier in the summer, speculating idly about a future together and eating takeout from one of Natalie’s favorite restaurants. Blake remembers thinking then how lovely Natalie was and how much he wanted to marry her. The proposal caught Natalie completely by surprise, but thankfully it was the good kind of surprise and Natalie's sisters were waiting a discreet distance away with her best coat and instant-dry nail polish for the engagement photos. Now Natalie and Blake are getting married at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., a parish run by friars of the Dominican Order that has served as Blake's church home for the past four years. Blake received Confirmation and First Communion at St. Dominic four years ago at Easter. Now Natalie and Blake will receive the sacrament of Holy Matrimony at the same church. They would be honored if you would join them as they begin their life together.

Did you know? Both Natalie and Blake like to whistle—so thank goodness they found each other, or they would've driven someone else crazy. Blake likes grim, confusing foreign-language films; Natalie prefers all-American classics like Hoarding: Buried Alive and 90 Day Fiance. Blake and Natalie's first picture together was on a date where they made homemade pizza. The official soundtrack of Blake and Natalie's relationship? ABBA. The official board game of Blake and Natalie's relationship? Yahtzee.