It was late 2019, and as two busy grad students in Austin, neither of us were looking for anything serious. But Aaron seemed smart and interesting from our first interactions (he liked urban planning! and a physics PhD, wow). For our first date, we met up for drinks at a classic Austin spot. Julia liked Aaron’s gentleness and attentiveness, and Aaron liked her energy, excitement, and “dimples and big smile.” And a few days later at our second date, we realized three or so hours after sitting down that we were the only people left at the restaurant, fully losing track of time as we got to know each other.

Three months into our relationship, we moved in together, thinking it would be temporary as we waited out the pandemic. But we quickly fell into a routine—walks with Olive, lots of cooking, enjoying records together—and found a shared love of _________.

While Covid accelerated our relationship, we took time to savor things from there. After five years, two graduate degrees, travels big and small, and a halfway-across-the-country move to Brooklyn, Aaron (sort of) surprised Julia with a proposal at The Met.

Lots of friends and family have joked that we're “finally” getting married, but we'd like to think we always knew, and after prioritizing some other milestones in our lives, get to celebrate the last few years of building our lives together surrounded by loved ones.