We are very excited to see you all at our wedding this September at the beautiful Chesapeake Bay! We met four years ago at a dance, and life has been like a fairy tale since. This past year has presented the world with numerous challenges, and yet it has been a great reminder of how important it is to be with the people we love and how lucky the two of us have been to have found each other. We can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together, and want to thank you all for sharing this special day with us! Alex and James

The UMD Gemstone Spring Soiree the night of May 7th was the first time Alex and James met! They immediately hit it off and started dating, and despite James having to move 2 months afterwards to Baltimore for medical school, Alex and James switched off weekends in College Park and Baltimore to be able to see each other until she joined him 2 years later! Alex's perspective: As I was sitting at a table at the formal with my friends, I saw this guy walk in out of the corner of my eye. And he definitely caught my eye. He was with a group of friends and then I kept chatting at the table but then next minute I saw that he sat down at our table since he knew the two friends I was with. He was very enthusiastically eating a piece of cake and in between big bites reached across the entire table and held out his hand saying "Hi, I'm James". After everyone moved to the other ballroom to keep dancing, James asked if I wanted to just keep talking. We talked for what felt like 20 minutes but was apparently much longer according to friends. I needed to get going and started getting up at which point James took my phone and asked me to unlock it so he could put his number in there. I texted and we started dating shortly after with coffee meetups and then everything just continued to develop in the most wonderful and fun organic way possible! James's Perspective: SO THERE I WAS, SPRING SOIREE 2016. I had come with a few people that I had spent the day with, but then peeled away to say hi to two other friends who were sitting with this BEAUTIFUL woman. We started talking, and despite me giving her plenty of opportunities to go find her friends she stayed with me THE WHOLE TIME. Before she left, I was able to put my number into her phone so that she could reach me if she wanted, and you know the rest! I soon realized that she was not only the most beautiful, but also the most fascinating and intelligent person I've ever met, and has made these past 4 years the best of my life!