On the morning of September 2, 2014, in the Integrated Learning Center lecture hall at UMass Amherst, Mike and Jill’s paths first crossed. It was Jill's first class ever as a freshman at UMass, and it was the first day of Political Science 101. Jill came in late with Starbucks in hand (of course) and found her seat among the 350 person packed auditorium room. During that class, Professor Raymond La Raja asked students to turn to the person next to them and exchange numbers, they would be study partners for the semester. By chance (or was it?...), Mike and Jill were paired together.

What began as study sessions in the basement of the Du Bois Library where Jill patiently explained constitutional rights to Mike, soon grew into a friendship and, eventually, a spark. But as college relationships often go, the timing wasn’t quite right. For the next five years, Mike and Jill admired one another from afar, their lives running parallel but never fully aligning.

That changed on September 8, 2019, Banner Night at Gillette Stadium. Jill reached out to Mike after he posted on Instagram at the game. She asked when she was finally going to get an invite to a Patriots game, stating that if he brought her, she might have to marry him (bold move Jill). The following weekend, Mike picked her up at her Southie apartment, and they had their first real date in years in the North End.

They chatted about old times on this date, but Mike also shared that back on that first day of PoliSci 101, while Jill had arrived late, Mike had actually arrived early. Mike told Jill that once he saw her enter the auditorium, Mike then packed up all his things and exited the back doors, only to return back to the auditorium to sit down in the open seat next to Jill.

This time, timing was perfect. Since then, Mike and Jill have traveled the world together, shared dreams and plans for the future, and built a life in Boston. They moved into their first apartment on Marlborough Street in Back Bay in August 2022, and a few months later welcomed their golden retriever, Dublin, into the family. In April 2024, on a beautiful spring day along the Esplanade, Mike asked Jill to marry him.

Now, after years of love, laughter, and planning, they are so excited to celebrate their wedding in beautiful Ireland with the people who mean the most to them. It is the journey of a lifetime, and they feel beyond grateful to share this joyful occasion with family and friends in September.