Here's to us.

Yes, of course our story starts with baseball. Once upon a time, Theo was playing baseball in Fond du Lac, WI for the summer . That same summer, Jess was living in Green Bay, WI for work. Theo and Jess initially connected online before meeting in person, but that's a minor detail... right? Shortly after their paths crossed, Theo invited Jess to one of his baseball games. She was happy to attend. Now, this is where the romantic story takes place so pay attention. The 9th inning came to a close and Theo ran over to where Jess was sitting in the stands. As he got closer, he pointed and tossed something to Jess. She quickly realized that that something was a baseball. She caught it, looked down, and read the fresh sharpie written along the seams that said "You're beautiful, text me (and Theo's phone number)". To this day, neither Theo or Jess can recall which team won that day because they remember it as the first day of the rest of their lives together. From that moment on, Theo and Jess were inseparable for the rest of the summer. They had the best time traveling around the state together and getting to know each other. However, summer came to a close and it was time for Theo and Jess to both go back to school; Theo to Bradley University in Peoria, IL, and Jess to St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. Both a little afraid of the distance, the two felt unsure about the future of their relationship. Until, Jess came across a Chris Stapleton song, Starting Over, from his new album at the time. She sent this song to Theo immediately, as she felt the lyrics reflected exactly how much she wanted to take a chance on them. Specifically, the lines that say "Wherever we are is where I want to be", "Lets take our chances and roll the dice", "Nobody wins afraid of losing, and the hard roads are the ones worth choosing", and "Some day we'll look back at smile, and know it was worth every mile". And with that, Theo and Jess started over, together. Starting Over by Chris Stapleton will be the song that Theo and Jess dance to for their first dance as husband and wife. Theo and Jess went on to crush long distance for the next two years. Year one was filled with tons of travel across the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, school, work, meeting family and friends, and adopting their cat Binx. For their one year anniversary, Theo threw a baseball to Jess in the stands of a Madison Mallards game that read "You're beautiful, text me (and Theo's phone number). Happy One Year." Several days after that anniversary, Theo was drafted by the Chicago White Sox. Year two was filled with travel throughout the states of Arizona, North Carolina and Alabama, finding their second cat Cosmo, more travel back home, and tons of memories made with family and friends. With their time together being so wonderfully busy and full of adventure, Theo and Jess quickly realized they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. For the Christmas of 2021, Theo took Jess on a winter getaway to Egg Harbor, WI. He told her he wanted to take nice pictures by the water, so they got all dressed up and found a beautiful spot on the lake at sunset. Before Jess knew it, Theo was down on one knee, pulling a baseball out of his jacket pocket. This was not just a regular baseball. Theo carefully carved this baseball out into a ring box. The outside read "You're beautiful, text me (and Theo's phone number). Will you marry me?". She said yes. Since being engaged, Theo and Jess have lived in Wisconsin, Alabama, Florida, Maine, and Massachusetts, been to well over 200 baseball games, traded to the Red Sox, adopted their beloved puppy Cobalt, and are now in the process of planning their idea of a perfect wedding. Theo and Jess are so unbelievably excited to celebrate the love they have built together with all of you. They know they will look back on their wedding day and know it was worth every mile.