Only in New York would you need a dating app to meet your neighbor... Ashley came across Eric's Hinge profile when he responded to a prompt of hers that read, "We'll get along if....you like sports, steak, whiskey, or play golf. If you like all of the above, we're probably soul mates." Eric responded saying he loved all of those things, "So we're good right?" After a bunch of text messages back and forth, and discovering that they actually lived only a few hundred feet away from each other (Ashley lived on East 81st Street, and Eric was only a few blocks up on E 85th), they met for their first date at the Milton restaurant on the Upper East Side followed by beers and Yankees baseball (naturally) at Dorrian's.

It was Eric's birthday. We had planned to go out for a nice steak dinner to celebrate at Smith and Wollensky. The plan was for Eric to come home and change after work, and we would go grab a drink before heading to dinner. When Eric got home, he told me he was going to change quickly and asked me to pick up a package downstairs and to check the mail. I thought that was weird, because we hadn't gotten a package notification from the front desk, and I had already gotten the mail, but I went downstairs anyway. I came down to find the "package" was 2 dozen long stemmed red roses, and in the mailbox was an envelope that read, "open when you get upstairs". When I got back to the apartment, I opened the envelope to find a card that had a post-it note inside. It was the first in a series of hand written notes that led me through some of our most meaningful "firsts"...our first photo together, the picture book I made for our first anniversary, and the forever roses he gave me for our first Valentine's Day. When I picked up the final note it simply said, "Forever together?" I turned around and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I couldn't believe it....it was perfect. We had a wonderful date night that started with manhattans at one of our favorite neighborhood bars, followed by dinner. I was absolutely on cloud nine. I thought we would just go home and call our parents and when we got back to the apartment the lights came on and "SURPRISE!!" all of our friends were there to congratulate us. Unbeknownst to me, Eric had conspired with my friends to plan a surprise engagement party for us. We spent the rest of the night celebrating with our New York City family. It was more perfect than I could have ever imagined!

The health and safety of our family and friends is our number one priority. We have made several plans to accommodate the ever-changing guidelines associated with covid-19. We will modify these plans as necessary. To ensure the safety of everyone, we ask that all guests wear masks where appropriate during both the ceremony and reception. We are requiring all of our guests to provide a proof of vaccination or negative covid-19 test within 72 hours of your arrival in Westport. This is in accordance with Connecticut state requirements for out-of-state travel and public gatherings. Tests can be taken in your home state prior to travel or in Connecticut upon your arrival. If you have been vaccinated for covid-19, please have a copy of your vaccine record should the CT state testing and tracing corps ask for it. We will continue to provide additional information and guidelines as the situation evolves. *Additionally, all adults 16 years of age and over are eligible for the covid-19 vaccine in New York beginning April 6, and in Connecticut April 1st. We strongly recommend getting vaccinated as early as possible, as the more guests who are fully vaccinated, the more flexible we are able to be with health & safety protocols. *All guests will have their temperatures taken and be asked to sanitize their hands upon arrival at Longshore. Phone numbers of every guest will be submitted for contact tracing. If you have been vaccinated for covid-19 (have received both doses of Moderna/Pfizer or J&J at least 14 days prior) please let us know so we can update your contact tracing info.

SAUGATUCK CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH The church was founded in 1832 in what was then the center of Saugatuck by some of the region’s most prominent leaders. The 1835 announcement regarding the incorporation of the town of Westport was nailed to its meeting house door, and town meetings were held there for years. In 1950, in a momentous occasion featured in Life Magazine, the church was moved across Post Road to its present location – the whole church! Saugatuck Congregational Church is open and welcoming to all ages and all faith backgrounds, as well as the LGBTQ community. "We are a justice-seeking, lifelong learning, fun-loving faith community. No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here." THE INN AT LONGSHORE “Westport’s Crown Jewel” is the name Westport has given Longshore. Longshore has a very interesting history. Like most of Fairfield County, the land that is now Longshore Club Park was originally farmland, and was later turned into an estate and later into a popular Country Club. During the 1940’s Longshore Country Club was a very popular Club for local residents Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and their famous friends. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, and even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt were all guests at Longshore. It is rumored that the Inn served as F. Scott Fitzgerald's main inspiration for the "The Great Gatsby."