we're getting married!

Eight short years ago, in the heart of the Southside of Pittsburgh, fate brought us together... but really it was Courtney & Jake. Erin had just gotten home from a Thanksgiving family trip to NYC, and had her parents drop her off at Court's apartment so she could go out in the Southside with Court, Tara, and Ben. Jake was a friend of Court's from SRU, and we went to Mario's to meet up with their friend group, ~the Degenerates~. Sean, a Mario's regular, was standing at the bar, as Court and Jake giggled and pushed Erin toward him and introduced them. He said "Hi I'm Sean, do you wanna spin the wheel?" And Erin, a lover of all shots and all things free, said of course. The rest was history! ..... just kidding. Although they did hit it off right away, neither of them were quite in the right place to start a relationship. Erin found out 2 days later that she got into dental school and was trying to decide which school to go to. And Sean, semi newly single wasn't sure he was ready to jump into a relationship, especially with someone who was about to start a 4 year dental program. Erin fell in love with the Degen friend group and hung out regularly at Ruth Street (Sean's apartment in Mt. Wash) and they "talked" on and off for about a year and a half. One night, after Steelers game and 43 rounds of flip cup, Nick (Sean's best friend and best man) joked that one day, Erin and Sean would get married. They laughed it off at the time. Fast forward to end of March/beginning of April 2016, after a couple random dates at Penguins games and PF Changs and a fun night at the Summit, Erin and Sean unofficially became official. We met each other's families, visited Stone Harbor and OBX, survived the rest of dental school, Sean bought a house, we did long distance for a year when Erin moved to Chicago, and finally moved in together in July 2020.

When Mr. and Mrs. Knepper announced they'd be going to a birthday party in Florence, Sean and Erin joked that they would just tag along... When Sean started looking at flights, it became less of a joke and more of a reality. With Covid making plans very up-in-the-air, Erin wasn't sure the trip would pan out. Little did she know, Sean had bigger plans for this Italian trip-of-a-lifetime. We had an amazing first couple days in Florence, and though Erin thought that Italy would be the perfect place to get engaged, she was absolutely sure there was no way Sean bought a ring and brought it on an 9 hour plane ride. On the 21st afternoon/night of September, capping off a fun-filled day in Florence, we spent the last 2 hours before dinner at the Boboli Gardens. We came across a beautiful floral area, and Sean asked Mrs. Knepper to take a video of him and Erin. Sean was shaking so hard, and Erin said "Are you okay? You're probably dehydrated." (We had been drinking a lotttt of wine and walking a ton). And Sean said "Yeah definitely dehydrated, but also I'm really nervous." Erin was confused for a second, and then it hit her, as Sean got down on one knee and asked to spend forever with her. Obviously, she said of course! Mr. Knepper started playing "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire on his phone from 30 yards away, while still laying down and rubbing his feet, and we realized Mrs. Knepper had cut the video off trying to "turn up the volume". It was perfectly imperfect, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Afterwards, we facetimed family and friends and headed to a Michelin restaurant to celebrate. After an incredible ten course meal, the staff took us up to the rooftop to an incredible view of the city. The rest of the trip was just as amazing, and we will cherish those memories forever.