I told my dad no thanks when he said I should talk to Courtney Peters one day. It was a classic young, dumb, and afraid take at the time – but then I started having more and more classes with her… We usually sat by each other since our last names were so near in the alphabet, which gave me a chance to get to know her better. I launched the most atrocious attempts of flirting her way, to no avail at first, but eventually enough resonated for her to realize I’m actually pretty hilarious. Banter grew to a friendship, which grew to a best friendship, and eventually… a friendzone. This initial “rejection” couldn’t stop me. I got to work, and a set of fresh teeth and a 6-pack made for the perfect escape from this doomed state, culminating in my first kiss in the front seat of a yellow VW buggy on a Sunday afternoon. An epic beginning to what I had no idea would be the best love, friendship, and decision a man could make. __ As many of you know, Courtney and Charlie started dating in high school – spring of sophomore year, to be exact, when they were just 16 years old. Both did pretty well back then: good grades, leadership roles, soccer teams, etc. So when it came to applying for colleges, there was naturally a lot of overlap. They were convinced, however, that they would end up at different colleges, the realists in both of them reminding them it’s “just a high school relationship” … Two gut-check final visits and last-minute pivots later, and they both ended up choosing UVA – without even telling one another until the deposits were in. Though 18 at the time, they maturely decided a little time broken up would be good for them to kick off the new chapter, and, as I’m sure you can guess, that lasted all but a few months. By the next summer they were back together, best friends once more, and working together in Charlottesville. From then on, they’d be in the same place at the same time for the next 8 years – school, then summer in NYC, then school, then semesters abroad, then another summer in NYC, then school, then NYC again after graduation – taking on each new phase of life together, hand in hand, and supported by a collection of top-tier friends accumulated over the years. Charlie threw a wrench into things when he went and got a job in distressed debt (fascinating…) out in San Francisco while Courtney stayed put on the East Coast, separating the two by distance for the first time ever. 5000 miles is the ultimate test, seeing each other only every few weeks for a short weekend at a time, with 6 hour flights each way. And yet, somehow, everything went perfectly smoothly. They say true friendship isn’t about being inseparable, but so much as in being separated and nothing changing. While both found this to be a valuable time to learn more about themselves and explore new ideas, places, and roles, one thing’s for sure: the distance only made their hearts grow even fonder, all but locking them in for the long haul. A stroke of luck and a new job brought Charlie back to NYC after a full year apart – bringing the two back onto the same schedule. And then, about a year after that, at sunset, in a tiny beach town on the southern coast of Turkey, Charlie dropped a knee and asked the easiest question of his life… So here we are :) __ Excited to celebrate the journey, love, and future to come on our special day, and we are blessed to do so with the people who have supported us all along the way. See you soon. Bring your dancing shoes.