How It All Began (Whether We Like It or Not)

It all started at a dive bar on James Island—the kind of place that smelled like spilled beer, poor decisions, and crushed dreams. Formerly known as The Stag Erin Pub (RIP, not missed), it’s now out of business, much to Nicholas’s benefit. A forced break from the party scene was probably for the best.

The year was 2017. Nicholas had freshly arrived in the U.S., adjusting to American life, while Sydney had been in Charleston since 2016, pretending she wasn’t slowly becoming a local. Enter Thad Stuckey—groomsman, mutual friend, and the unwitting catalyst in this saga of fate, questionable choices, and eventual love.

At the time, Nicholas was married (yeah, plot twist), and Sydney was busy living her best life. So, we started as good friends—drinking buddies, dinner group companions, and overall tolerable acquaintances. But as time passed and our respective relationships… let’s say expired, the dynamic shifted.

Suddenly, we were hanging out more. Dinners turned into long conversations, casual drinks turned into "oops, did we close the bar again?" nights, and somewhere in between, we realized we actually liked each other. Begrudgingly.

And so, here we are. Somehow, through years of friendship, bad decisions, and Sydney tolerating Nicholas’s nonsense (and vice versa), we ended up planning a wedding. It wasn’t the plan, per se, but life is funny like that.

And now, against all odds, we’re together. Forever.

Send help. Or champagne.