Welcome to our micro wedding after 14 years together.

Mark returned for another massage. Then another. Between June 12th and July 19th, 2011, we traded hints of our interest in one another, while he lay facedown on the massage table. Mark was shy and needed just a bit of Lisanne's encouragement. He succeeded at impressing Lisanne when he mentioned that he stayed up all night and won the 24 Hour Movie Marathon at the Jacob Burns Theater. It was Lisanne's cue to say, "well, I love movies!" and thus, the journey of our courtship began and on July 19th, our first official date, we dined on Indian cuisine and watched "Another Earth" at the Burns in Pleasantville. Some time later that summer, Lisanne was in Maine visiting her daughters at sleep away camp, and ruminated about how dating clients was a major faux pas. She sent Mark numerous texts declaring, "You can't pay me for massages anymore." He agreed. A month or two later, he met Emily and Olivia. In December, Mark left his small Croton apartment on the Hudson River and came to live with us. We gradually transitioned to a 'blended,' if not nuclear family. His patience and generosity won everyone's hearts. He bravely endured the volatile moods of two girls at the height of their adolescence. It's fair to say that his bachelor routine was substantially and permanently altered. Mark loves dogs. We had four rescue cats. Mark worked a lot. we built him an office. He loves Chili, so Lisanne made it for dinner once a week. We have been together for 14 years, but finally decided to wed, mostly because the time seemed right. Truly, our story began over a decade ago. We have both endured scary illnesses, the deaths of our parents and family dramas. We have taken good care of one another, helping each other land on two feet within the whirlwind of life. All that, plus a touch of fate, has brought us to this magical day.