As far as modern romances go, ours began on a dating app. Yes, a Hinge success story. James had written in his profile that he didn't understand the why people liked Taylor Swift. Margaret, never one to let such a statement go unchallenged, sent the first message to defend everyone who loves Taylor Swift. That small exchange quickly turned into something bigger, and soon after, we had our first date.

When it came to our first date, James suggested dinner. But Margaret, who has a gluten allergy and finds dinner first dates a bit tricky, proposed an alternative. Instead, we spent the evening driving around Tuscaloosa and finishing the night with a movie. It was easy, natural, and felt like we'd known each other forever. Who would have guessed that an Alabama girl and a boy from New York would have so much in common? To make things even better, we later discovered we had mutual friends.

By our second date, James's love for hockey made an early appearance. We watched a hockey documentary together -- something James was clearly passionate about, and Margaret knew absolutely nothing about. Still' it was one of those little moments where we realized how much fun it was to share our worlds with each other. From then on, being together just felt like home. James's calm balances Margaret's energy, and Margaret's warmth balances James's steady nature. Somehow we just fit.

Only a couple months after we met, Margaret moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, for graduate school. Most people would say long distance is tough (and it was, especially on our bank accounts), but for us, it was worth every mile, every flight, and every phone call.

In May 2025, James proposed at Vulcan Park in Birmingham with both of our families there to celebrate. It was so perfectly us. After Margaret finished up her 3 year graduate program, we finally said goodbye to long distance and hello again to life together in Birmingham. Our journey has been filled with laughter, road trips, and plenty of Taylor Swift (much to James's surprise). We couldn't be more excited to begin this chapter and to celebrate our wedding with all of you -- the people who mean the most to us.