Let’s go back in time. Their story began in Spring 2013 at Talbot Hall on the campus of the University of Maryland. As part of the UMD Field Hockey team, Alyssa already had been living in Talbot Hall the previous fall, while Scott moved in that spring. It didn’t take long for them to start interacting with one another. In books, authors would call their first couple months knowing each other as a slow burn. From the get-go, their sarcastic banter and being able to play off each other was definitely a sign that something incredible was in the making. They took their time to understand what was important for them in a friend and partner, and they allowed their connection to grow slow, but steady. That fall of 2013 Scott would come to more and more of Alyssa’s field hockey games, where he even once painted his entire upper body #8 for Alyssa. Scott’s consistency led to their first official date, which happened to be Valentine’s Day in 2014. He gifted her a giant (no really … giant) teddy bear called LESTER who is still a legend to this day. And on the 26th of February 2014 they made it official. After over a year of knowing each other and building their foundation. Now one might think “Wow they took really long to make things official”, but there is a reason why. Alyssa once told me that after seeing how her dad treated her mom (and raised her and her siblings) she would always know what to look for and wanted to be sure to find a guy that would be as caring as he was and she could see raising her children one day. And she did. Throughout college Alyssa and Scott would spend every possible minute together. They would have the normal college experience from going to concerts (country or Lil Dicky - the couple is versatile), playing intramural flag football together, going out, and Scott dressing up as Alyssa for Halloween (including wearing a red wig). And if you know these two, you know that their competitiveness is unmatched. This competitiveness would be the start of a long line of competitions with Scott being at the forefront… winning every prize at fairs and amusement parks. He will in fact beat little children’s scores for fun ;) Their love for each other grew and grew until they graduated from UMD - ready to conquer the next part of life together. After graduation Alyssa lived in Lancaster, PA and Scott lived in Annapolis, MD. A total of 4 years they would have a long-distance relationship which many couples might not have made work. But not these two. They both knew that this relationship was worth it and stuck it out all that time. Since 2014 they have been a couple. And many of you reading this might have thought along the way “When are they finally going to get married?”. As someone who has watched their friendship and then love develop first slow, but so strong, I am happy to say that Alyssa not only has found a man that treats her how she deserves to be treated, but also Scott found a woman that loves him so deeply that these past 10 years are just the beginning of a wonderful lifetime together. I can’t wait to stand by your side on December 2nd! Love, Sarah