Couple's Shared Love for UC Inspires Red & Black Wedding

Once upon a time there were two students so committed to UC that they were destined to a Bearcat romance. Their love story begins and continues with UC at its center.

Leah's formal where this love story began.

Seth Vensil's and Leah Taylor's stars collided in 2009 when Leah needed a date to her sorority formal. Mutual friends pinned Seth as the perfect match for Leah and sparks flew instantly. The couple capped off their perfect first date with a stroll around UC’s campus that landed them at McMicken Tower and their (then) favorite Greek hangout, Uncle Woody’s.

Two years later, their love story came full circle when Seth invited Leah back to McMicken Hall. He wanted her to kiss Mick and Mack for good luck before his medical boards the following day, but Leah turned around only to find Seth down on one knee. 

Surprise!

The couple recently set their UC-themed wedding for June 22, 2013, exactly two years from the date Seth proposed, and the same day as his parents’ anniversary. They are as head over heels for UC as they are for each otehr that they even arranged for Lucy the Bearcat to make an appearance at their wedding. Leah also now serves as the official contributor for Proudly Cincinnati's UC-Inspired Weddings board on Pinterest to share her Red & Black-inspired wedding ideas with other Bearcat couples.

As for planning their future together, Seth says, “As a medical student, my life after school is determined by what residency program I match into.  I would like to stay in the Midwest and specifically Ohio.  Really, I'm just excited that Leah is willing to pick up and go wherever I go.  She has been my main support through the last couple of years and I can't wait to start our life together, wherever that may be.”

The groom and bride spent
New Year's Eve together in Chicago.

Wherever their next landing, it seems UC will always hold a special place in the hearts of the young couple - especially considering their jam-packed commitment to UC as students. Leah, a social work major at the College of Allied Health Sciences, managed to juggle leadership positions in her sorority, Chi Omega, Student Government, Student Alumni Council, and Cincinnati Women In Excellence and Spirit Together (CWEST), among others. In between classroom and student organization life, she even found time to take a service trip to El Salvador and represent UC's School of Social Work on a state level by serving on several state committees through the National Association of Social Workers.

Seth, a Biology and Chemistry student at the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, loved his undergraduate experience so much that he continued on to study at the College of Medicine. Even with a challenging academic program, he served as president of his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and student trustee on UC's Board of Trustees. He stayed involved with 11 other organizations across campus, spanning Men of METRO and Sigma Sigma to ROAR and the Student Activities Board (SAB).

“My involvement in Greek Life and Student Government really cemented my love for UC and provided me with numerous opportunities.  I will always feel indebted to UC for allowing me such a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it is my lifelong mission to give back in any way that I can.” 

Always "Representing the C," Seth and
Leah sport their Metro and CWEST apparel

Both Seth and Leah continue to be involved as graduate students in the Cincinnatus Honorary Society Alumni Board and the UC Bicentennial Committee – The Best is Yet to Come.

Seth and Leah obviously embody what it means to be Proudly Cincinnati, and we wish them the best of luck as they embark on their new life together!

Did you marry a fellow Bearcat and theme your wedding Red & Black like Leah and Seth? Tell us all about it!