Our Story
The year was 2020.
The world was in the throes of a nasty, isolating, global pandemic.
It was a weird time.
In early 2020, we had both had a weird journey.
Eric had been itching for a change in hopes of advancing his career (and meeting someone 👀). In the spring of 2020, he moved from Baltimore to Philly to "save the city" (i.e., join the Department of Emergency Management--at a time when many emergencies were occurring).
Keriann had been seeking something new, too. After a busy few years of stacking MBA classes onto consulting hours, Keriann quit her job in the spring of 2020, feeling compelled to start a digital health company--even though she had no background in tech or health.
In the summer of 2020, Eric and Keriann were both using an app called Hinge, "the dating app made to be deleted."
In August, we found each other's profiles.
Eric: a history buff and competitive bocce player. Keriann: an enthusiastic napper and polyglot.
We were both isolated, not just because of Covid quarantine rules, but because Eric was new in town and Keriann had left a tight-knit team to work alone.
We traded messages at odd hours, chatted about places to go in Philly, even talking about Valley Forge(!) before we met.
But it was not long before our first date...I mean, have you ever tried to make one of us wait?
When our first date rolled around...
We met at the South Street Pop-up Beer Garden...and then went for a walk...and then went to get froyo...
It was basically a four-hour long date.
We found out we were both class presidents, both had big Italian families, both studied abroad, and much more.
It felt like we had an amazing connection right off the bat.
Unfortunately, after a whirlwind 4 dates in 2 weeks, Eric went out of town, leaving Keriann to wonder if he would stay in touch.
She soon found out...
7 videos, 3 video calls, and many photos later
Eric went on a vacation to Colorado and California, meeting with some family members in San Diego.
The group went on a wine tasting excursion...and, 7 family videos, 3 video calls, and many photos later, Keriann had an early taste of the Skinkle family, got to virtually meet a few of them, and Eric asked Keriann to be his girlfriend (twice, because he forgot the first time).
After we were reunited, the next two years were filled with trips, coffee walks, bodega breakfast sandwiches, happy hours, game nights, and much more!
Finally, in October of 2022, Eric proposed at Longwood Gardens. [Keriann said yes, obviously.]
We are so excited to celebrate our special day with you as we start our next chapter!
