We’re making it official!

The year was 2016. Jessy set off for a first-time European adventure and Steven was on a Birthright Israel trip extension through the Balkan Peninsula. As luck would have it, the wide-eyed youngster‘s paths crossed in a quaint hostel in the city center of Belgrade, Serbia. Jessy first spotted Steven in the common area with an untamed beard and salty tan skin. Steven noticed Jessy's kind eyes and infectious smile. The stars aligned and there was what seemed to be an immediate attraction. When she went out of her way to offer him a bowl of pasta, the connection was made. Steven and Jessy didn't spend much time together on that trip. Only a few short but memorable interactions that would then be the glue to keep communication open while they lived worlds apart. A few months later, while Steven was on a trip passing through NYC, he reached out to Jessy for dinner. To his surprise she canceled last minute leaving much to the imagination. Two more months would pass before their paths crossed again. Steven was back in NYC and this was Jessy's chance to make it happen. She knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend time with someone she was secretly thinking of often. Jessy had had a long day at work and was still able to meet Steven for their first date. She took him to her favorite BBQ whiskey bar in Williamsburg, and had an old fashioned waiting for him when he arrived. They spent the night eating, drinking and laughing like they had known each other for years. It was the most comfortable and alive either of them had been in a long time. They would spend nearly the next two years traveling around the world and falling in love before settling in NYC.

One morning at the festival as the sun was just rising, Jessy and Steven decided to watch the waves crash on the shore before heading home after a magical night with friends. The setting was that of unequivocal beauty and energy. The sun was shining so brightly, giving life to the waves and all the people soaking in its rays. As they lay their blanket down, a nearby couple asked them to watch their bags for a few minutes So they could go for a dip. This couple then took off all their clothes, held hands and skipped into the ocean waves together. At that moment so much love and joy and innocence rushed over them, and Jessy immediately knew, that was the way she wanted to marry Steven. In the purest form possible. “You and I, just us two”, she said. It had never been more clear and the timing had never been more right. Jessy then dropped to two knees, with tears streaming down both their faces, she asked “to the most extraordinary man I have ever met, would you do me the honor of skipping into the waves with me, and be my husband?” Steven joyously replied, “Of course I will” and they both held each other, cried their eyes out and talked about what they truly mean to each other. They then stood up, put on their birthday suits, clasped hands, and with all their heart and soul skipped into the waves together. As they skipped, people all along the beach cheered and chanted “Pura Vida!” As they hit the ocean waves they never let go of each others hands. Each wave they crashed and dived through together felt like the obstacles in life that they would overcome together, always. Wave after wave, further and further out to sea, they emerged always united and undeterred, solidifying their commitment to each other. It was truly perfect. They yelled it together from the top of their lungs, “PERFECTT!!” Running back onto the sandy beach with smiles from ear to ear, that was it. They were married. Two souls intertwining like DNA.