We're Getting Married!

Derek and Juliana’s relationship started at Towson University in Maryland in 2007. It was Juliana’s freshman year and Derek’s sophomore year. They met through their mutual friend Joe at a dining hall during lunch where Derek invited Juliana and her friends to a party that night. It was a Thursday night, but after all, it was college. They hit it off that night and became friends...and their friend groups became friends...and soon they were part of one big college friend group and were spending lots of time together. They stayed in touch over that summer and after returning to Towson the next semester, they officially started dating in December 2008 (after Derek tried asking Jules out 3 different times). They’ve been together ever since - growing into post-college adulthood and achieving their goals over the years, while having lots of fun along the way. From Maryland to New Jersey to Connecticut and back to Jersey, it’s been a fun and wild ride over the last 11 years of their relationship. They can’t wait to see where the next chapter of their story takes them!

It was a Friday and Juliana’s first day back to work after being out sick that week. Still on antibiotics, she wasn’t feeling great nor in her typical celebratory Friday mood. Derek had been bugging her all week about having a date night Friday night, asking her where they should go to dinner. Finally Friday morning she agreed to go out after work. They snagged a dinner reservation at Sedona Taphouse, a great restaurant in downtown Norwalk, CT, where they were living. They even made it there early enough for Happy Hour, their favorite Friday festivity. Little did Juliana know that during dinner, Derek had big plans taking place. He had asked their good friends Nick and Brittany Mathes who were in Connecticut that day to help him pull this off. While at dinner, Nick and Britt were picking up the dozens of flowers and balloons that Derek had ordered and decorating the apartment for their return. At dinner and on the way home, Juliana noticed that Derek was unusually hyper and jumpy. He was singing songs in the Uber home, but she just figured he was having a fun. They got back to their apartment and when Derek opened the door and turned on the lights, Juliana screamed in shock. There were dozens of balloons hanging and dozens of flowers grouped together in bouquets throughout the kitchen and living room. On the kitchen island their laptop was playing a slideshow of photos of them from throughout the years. There was even a vintage bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne from the year they met (2008) on ice. Derek then pulled a box out of a drawer and got down on his knee to propose. Of course Juliana said yes and after many tears, they popped open the champagne. That night they were able to celebrate with Brittany and Nick and then Derek surprised Juliana with a visit from some of their other close friends the next day, where they went to the beach and went downtown at night. Juliana’s parents came up that Sunday for lunch too - they celebrated all weekend long!