Time for the next adventure

We both signed up for the online dating platform match.com in 2014 and dove into the Baltimore dating scene. One cold winter day John messaged Kelly to say hello ("hola," in fact) and so it began. Several messages later they arranged to meet for dinner at local Baltimore pub called Ale Mary's on January 14, 2015. Their first meal together included crabby tots, chicken fajitas, and many thoughtful questions. Don't all good love stories start with a memorable meal?

Friday October 12th, 2018. John said to Kelly that he wanted to go into Baltimore that evening for a beer week event: 6 p.m. at Bond Street Wharf. Kelly worked from home and John went to work... or so she thought. In fact he drove to Kelly's hometown to surprise her parents and ask for her hand! That night they drove to the Bond Street Wharf in Baltimore: Kelly without a clue, and John with a ring in his pocket. The weather was brisk and the sun was beginning to set. They stopped at "their spot," the bench where they took their first photo together. They walked down to the wharf and not a single soul was there except for one man ... sitting on the couple's bench. To Kelly's surprise, John walked right up to him and asked him to move, explaining they wanted to take a picture there. The guy misunderstood and said, "did you want me to take your picture?" John declined, and the guy stood up and kindly moved one seat down. As it turns out it was 3.5 years to the day that first snapshot was taken. John removed an index card from his pocket and started to read. The third stanza of the poem ended in "...life," and the poem ended with "...wife!" Of course, she said yes.

Yes, we have chosen a super unique venue for our ceremony. So why the Zoo? Our first Christmas together (2015), John adopted a penguin for Kelly 🐧. We visited in 2016, and many times since for events like Oktobearfest, and with out of town guests in tow. We even did a penguin encounter in 2017 (see our Save the Date photo) and got to meet some web footed friends. In 2018 we became members, and now we're pleased to bring our family and friends to the Zoo's iconic Mansion House (est 1801) to watch us say, "I do!"