In 2014, two souls from the swamps of South Jersey unexpectedly crashed into each other.

Max, a young buck immersed in the world of news and media, found himself exploring the wild streets of Philadelphia. Grace had recently wandered back to the area after years of living in Washington D.C., preparing herself for the journey of graduate school.

Their worlds collided when Max found himself captivated by Grace as she savored a cheeseburger at Kraft Work in Fishtown. A mutual friend named Jarred would soon bring them closer together during an Eagles game. Their paths intertwined further, marked by Grace's "accidental" hair tie left behind at Max's place, kindling new text exchanges.

The spark ignited when Grace watched Max perform at Third and Girard's open mic night. They talked into the night, jumping from 3G, to Bardot, to the after hours establishment of the Handlebar. In the now defunct biker bar, they shared Miller High Life and life stories.

Amidst Halloween brawls, late-night escapades in Fishtown's dive bars, and one particularly long trip home from the Dolphin on a flat tire, they realized their connection was something special. It wasn't long before they decided to make their love official, claiming local haunts like Loco Pez and Murphs as their own.

Max fell head over heels for Grace's prowess in Super Mario Bros. and her love for the Sega Dreamcast. Grace introduced Max to the joys of the Olympic Games and gymnastics on a collegiate and international level. Max dazzled Grace with his ability to stretch his Italian over various other languages, ensuring they never got lost, kidnapped, or ripped off while traveling (yet). But despite his multilingual fluency, it was Max’s hoagiemouth accent that brought Grace’s own regional inflection to a new level.

Their journey briefly led them down different paths, with Grace pursuing her dreams at Columbia University while Max delved deeper into the world of journalism. Despite the distance, their bond strengthened, spending broke weekends in New York together, watching documentaries in a 10x12 shoebox on Amsterdam Ave on a laptop screen. They would occasionally ball out with Hibachi or Italian on Broadway, making the most of the big city and their big love.

Grace completed her studies, returned to Philadelphia and began her career as a Speech Language Pathologist in Delaware, while Max joined a start-up and pivoted to a career in Marketing. Together, they embarked on a new chapter, as they moved in together in Kensington and welcomed two ferocious & furry companions, Bowie and Lucky, into their world.

Their story reached new heights on a Fourth of July engagement at Lake Placid NY, under the fireworks and surrounded by friends in 2021.

As the pandemic came to its end, Max and Grace took the pent up energy collected over the course of binge watching 40+ seasons of Survivor, and scratched their itch to travel, visiting destinations like US National Parks, Italy, England, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Brazil together.

Yet, amidst their adventures, they found solace in the simple joys of neighborhood strolls, indulging in new local eateries, hunting down dairy free ice cream for Max, and cozying up to watch their favorite shows with Bowie and Lucky.

We are so ecstatic to see our family and friends and celebrate the start of our next adventure with you!