It was June 2016, and I had just gotten home from college for summer break. I was sitting in the kitchen at my parents’ house, listening to R&B classics on the TV. Unbeknownst to me, in just a few hours, my family was going to host a pre-prom party, a celebratory event centered around my younger sister, Jordan, and her friends, all eager to see each other a few more times before they graduated.

Kate was the only friend arriving early to help set up and get ready for the party. Though I had known Kate for several years, we cannot remember ever exchanging words before the moment she walked into my kitchen that day and teased me for my R&B music selection. We chatted a bit, and it was revealed that Kate didn’t really want to go to the Prom and conveniently didn’t have a date. I jested that she should take me as her prom date, and she said, with real sincerity, that she would have a much better time if that were possible. Clearly, neither of us wanted the conversation to end there, because Kate then dubbed me the party photographer, which she later revealed was an intentional ploy to keep us close. And the first photo I took? A selfie of us, of course. (see it below).

Our first date was a few days later on June 12th, 2016, in Bethany Beach, DE, and we officially began dating just 6 days later on June 18th. It’s been over 9 years since that day, including several long-distance years apart due to our separate colleges, and several beautiful years together spent across the country in San Diego. We survived moving in together 1 month before the pandemic, raising two insane and perfect puppies (Theo & Juniper), too many moves, and so much more — partners, best friends, and soulmates, no matter where this life takes us next.

On December 22, 2023, I proposed to Kate, the love of my life, on the sandy beaches of our favorite spot in San Diego—Coronado Island. In an ode to our favorite time of year and our original first date, I surprised Kate with a Christmas tree surrounded by flowers on the beach. The moment was captured by our wonderful photographer, Sammy, who has documented many of our most joyous memories in San Diego (and is headed to Paris with us). I also composed several drawings of all of our favorite milestones together into a journal as a gift to Kate on our engagement day.

Recently, we returned to the East Coast to be closer to our loved ones and to buy our first home together (a milestone we recently accomplished!). Our love story has taken us from Baltimore to Boston to Elon to San Diego and now PA, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us next. Kate and I could not be more thrilled to announce our elopement in Paris this September, and are excited to celebrate with friends & family when we return.

written by Daniel