Our Story
1995
CJ and Ria were born, two months apart, in the summer of ‘95.
2013
CJ & Ria left home and moved into Millennium Hall at Drexel University. On the 10th and 14th floors, they became close friends with their floor mates. Their paths fleetingly crossed in an epic game of Assassins, but like any good story it would be long before they actually spoke to one another.
2015
The Floorteen girls and the Men from Ten began hanging out and merged to form the 24 friend group, which still exists to this day.
Ria briefly had a crush on CJ (mostly because she heard him play piano), but once they became friends, she quickly dropped it. She could never date a friend.
2017
Ria started med school and moved off of Drexel’s undergrad campus. The friend group still met up frequently. Between pool parties at Ria’s apartment building and her comical rendition of “Let Me See that Booty Work,” CJ found himself slowly developing feelings for Ria.
2019
CJ graduated college and started his job at QVC. Ria was in her final year of med school in Philly.
On CJ’s 24th birthday, they found themselves hanging out alone for the first time. They discovered instant chemistry, and Ria remembers laughing so hard that her face hurt. Just a week later, with the help of a margarita pitcher, CJ made the first move and the two started dating.
2020
Ria and CJ met each others’ parents. CJ took Ria on a ski trip for their first Valentine’s Day - romantic until Ria suddenly fell and broke her knee. After working through Ria’s recovery and with a pandemic looming, they said “I love you” for the first time.
2021
Ria moved to Pittsburgh to start her next phase of residency. Long distance was hard, but the FaceTimes were frequent and the drive across PA only got easier with time.
2023
CJ started a Masters program at Carnegie Mellon University and moved across the state to be with Ria. They made new friends, traveled to new cities, and took on new hobbies like pickleball and salsa dancing.
2024
They started looking at rings and talking about a future together. In June 2024, CJ proposed to Ria under the Cathedral of Learning and surprised her with an intimate celebration with their closest family and friends.
2025
Ria and CJ are so excited to get married! Soon after their wedding at the end of May, they plan to move back to the Philadelphia area, honeymoon in Greece (!), and begin their life as a married couple.