Our Story
Most couples remember the first time they met, but that isn’t the case for us… and not for the reason you might think! We first crossed paths when we were 6 years old in our first grade Japanese Immersion class. Japanese would keep us connected all the way through high school graduation, ensuring we had a class together every year. We both ended up at UVA in 2013, where we stayed in touch despite having different academic and social circles.
Zach worked in Northern VA and Amanda moved to Atlanta after graduation from UVA. When the startup Amanda worked for went under, she unexpectedly moved back home less than a year later. We started spending lots of time together and realized our connection was more than just friendship.
Amanda had always wanted to spend time in New Zealand and decided that the best time to do so would be in between jobs. She began planning a gap year in earnest and moved across the world in the fall of 2018. We only managed a couple weeks apart before Zach bought flights to visit for the holidays.
We spent 2 sun-filled weeks together adventuring across the South Island. There were highs… kayaking Doubtful Sound, hiking the most incredible mountains, eating our weight in Kiwi pies, and spending Christmas at the lake. There were also some lows… one bicycle crash and subsequent hospital visit, one speeding ticket, a van-in-the-ditch sans-cell service debacle, and Zach regaling Amanda with the plot of Lord of the Rings for the entirety of a 7 hour hike (we’re split on which list that one goes on).
Over the next couple of years we continued traveling, survived another bout of long-distance partnership between the US and Jordan, and slowly built our life together. In the summer of 2020 we moved to Denver, Colorado and in January of 2021 we brought Rufus into our family! We spent our first few years in Denver making our house a home, investing in our community, and building friendships. In fall of 2022, we spent a week in Ireland, where Zach took Amanda on a beautiful walk through the gardens at Adare Manor and proposed.
We feel so lucky to have such incredible support and love from our family and friends. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
