We're Tying The Knot!

You’ve Got Mail. One of Jaclyn and Aaron’s favorite movies. She did not own a small bookstore. He did not single-handedly put her out of business. But other than that, their romance began very Meg Ryan + Tom Hanks-like. One online message, among a slew, that seemed at first too simple to stand out: “Hey...how are you?” A couple of weeks later, after daily online conversation, they exchanged phone numbers, and only a couple weeks after that, Jaclyn showed her “not-so-shy” side by sending a simple but insistent text: “So when are you going to ask me out?” Longhorn Steakhouse isn’t necessarily the most romantic but it was the most convenient location and 8PM was the only time on a Monday that he could make given an overwhelmingly busy work schedule. So on August 6th, 2012, they met in person for the first time and though it didn’t take the unfortunate first turn that You’ve Got Mail took, it seemed almost movie-like. Deep in conversation through dinner and long after the food had been cleared, time quickly passed without Aaron or Jaclyn becoming aware. Suddenly, Jaclyn looked up from conversation and realized the lights had brightened and every other table had overturned chairs. They had officially closed down the restaurant - it was after 11PM. Slightly embarrassed, Jaclyn saw the waitress and said “I am so sorry, we didn’t realize what time it was!” The waitress laughed and said “Don’t worry about it - I didn’t want to disturb you! It was too cute!” And, to add additional stereotypical Hollywood corniness to this story, the rest, as they say, is history.

Aaron hid his amazing plan underneath a casual invite to dinner on the one night of Thanksgiving week that Jaclyn's family shockingly did not have a feast already planned. For 3 months, Aaron planned every detail, excitedly and nervously spilling the beans along the way to seemingly every client that walked in the gym where he coaches. But his busy work schedule and well-planned stories kept Jaclyn completely in the dark. Then finally the Monday before Thanksgiving, he drove them both to Tartine Bistro in Rocky River. As Jaclyn walked in, she noticed the place was nearly empty and his name was the only name on the reservation list, with notes next to it. The host came over and explained that he needed to take them on a tour later. When Jaclyn asked, Aaron simply said the last time he was at the restaurant, he had taken a tour of its back rooms, and he thought Jaclyn would like to see them too. So after a delicious dinner, the host came to the table and invited the two on a tour of the back rooms before dessert. When they got to the final room, the host opened the door where Jaclyn noticed rose petals covering the floor and lit candles on shelves surrounding the entire room. As she walked in first and stood in awe, Aaron got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. The host told the couple the private room was theirs for the night, and the champagne on the table was on the house. But lo and behold, it wasn't theirs alone. A short time later, Jaclyn's mom and sister and both of Aaron's parents walked in, to Jaclyn's surprise. They had been dining together down the street, as part of Aaron's well thought-out plan, and they all celebrated together for the rest of the evening.