He asked, I said YES!!

The bride and groom first crossed paths while working their summer jobs. The bride was running the register one afternoon while the groom was busy keeping the concession stands fully stocked. Their first meeting was unforgettable — the bride was snapped out of her daydream when a handful of ice was suddenly dropped down her back. The guilty party? The groom. At that point, they had never met, exchanged words, or even known each other’s names. That surprising moment sparked the beginning of their friendship. What started with playful ice tosses soon grew into sharing laughs, venting about coworkers, and the groom often reminding the bride not to get herself into trouble over high school drama — advice she didn’t listen to then, and honestly, still doesn’t listen today. As time passed, their friendship faded into a simple acquaintance, and eventually they lost touch. Years later, they reconnected while the bride was in college, and from that point on, they have been inseparable. From their first date at Dairy Queen, to moving into their first apartment together, to recently welcoming two cats into their home (despite the groom’s initial hesitation — fun fact: he absolutely adores them now), they have built a life full of love and laughter. Today, they couldn’t be happier to celebrate their marriage surrounded by the people they love most.

To ring in the New Year, we traveled to New Jersey to celebrate with friends. The weekend was filled with laughter, celebrations, and time spent visiting some of our favorite people. We stayed with friends in Jersey City the night before heading out to brunch the next morning. Before we left, the groom encouraged the bride to dress up, mentioning that the brunch spot was a little fancy. He even picked out one of her white sweaters, which, as it turns out, was a very intentional choice. On our way to brunch, we took the light rail and made a stop at the charming Grundy Park in Jersey City. The park was beautifully decorated for the holidays, complete with a festive Christmas tree and a stunning pier overlooking the New York City skyline. Once we arrived, our friends suggested taking a group photo and pretended to wait for someone passing by to take it for us. Meanwhile, the winter wind was biting, and the bride—very ready to warm up—kept insisting it was too cold and time to leave. The groom had originally planned to propose with the NYC skyline behind them, but nerves took over, and in a spontaneous and heartfelt moment, he dropped to one knee in front of the glowing Christmas tree instead. Completely surprised, the bride immediately exclaimed, “No, you’re not!”—before quickly realizing their friends were capturing the entire moment on video and in photos. When the groom opened the ring box, the bride knew it was real, and the moment became one neither of them will ever forget. The morning continued with joyful celebrations, plenty of photos, and even a few staged pictures later in front of the NYC skyline. In a fun and unexpected twist, they accidentally photobombed another tourist’s photo, and that same tourist later found them on the train and kindly sent the picture to them—making the day even more memorable. We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying brunch, celebrating with friends, and soaking in the happiness of our new chapter together. It was the perfect start to our forever.