We met for the first time at a bar called Brady’s in Ramsey, NJ, Summer of 2012. Michael walked right up to me on a dare from his friend and opened with, “Hey, what's going on?” Very smooth. Reluctant to fall for Michael’s charm the first time we met, we ended up going our separate ways. It was about a month later at the same bar that we met again. After mistaking him for someone else I went to high school with, Michael called me out for being completely wrong (Michael went to an all male high school) and reminded me we had met at that very place a few weeks earlier. In my defense, he was wearing a hat the first time we met, and I was a few drinks in this time. After the comical mix-up and realizing and remembering who Michael actually was, we kept locking eyes throughout the night and laughing at each other. We decided to hang out a few days later, and the rest is history!

Michael had been dropping major hints that he was going to propose to me during our vacation on Long Beach Island for my birthday. He had me thinking the whole week leading up to it that he was going to ask me that Friday. So come Wednesday, we decided to use a gift card we had from Dori and Dave to an incredible restaurant on the island called The Gables. The restaurant was in the area where Michael grew up vacationing, so he said he wanted to walk around after dinner and watch the sunset on the bay. After an amazing dinner, we went to watch the sunset, but it wasn't anything special so I suggested we go grab some drinks. Then he took my hand, and I felt his hand shaking, and I thought "oh my gosh is he doing this NOW?!" Even though I knew it was coming, he still caught me completely off guard and dropped to one knee and proposed, which was followed by a lot of ugly crying on my part and finally getting my head to shake yes. After barely getting the yes out, Dori and Clara jumped out from behind a fence where they had been hiding and recording the whole thing, Michael had been planning it with them for weeks. We popped champagne, cried, laughed, and partied all night together!

Long Beach Island, or "LBI" as it is known by the locals, is a beautiful barrier island off the southern coast of New Jersey. The area is known for its white sandy beaches, family friendly environment and close proximity to major cities such as New York and Philadelphia. Michael grew up staying on LBI every summer with his family, and I fell in love with the island when I started visiting with his family more frequently. We are thrilled to be having our wedding in our favorite place with our favorite people!