we're married!

(As told by Mark) I’ll never forget the first time I saw Cori. It was sometime around the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014. Remember those times when we used to have in-person meetings in a conference room? There were about 20 dudes in our weekly Construction Meeting and here comes this beautiful, classy, brunette with her glasses on...handing out documents for us to sign. With wide eyes, I mouthed to my boss across the table, “WHO IS THAT?!” I didn’t get much information other than her first name and that she was the new Design Coordinator. The highlight of my week (every week) for months was when she would come around and ask me for my signature on a piece of paper. There weren’t words exchanged much beyond a “good afternoon” and a “thank you”…but that was the best conversation I had all day. I have to confess, I didn’t have the courage to make the first move past cordiality…thankfully she did! The more and more I got to know Cori, the more special I realized she was. We’ve been best friends for a long time and I thank God every day that we have found ourselves on the brink of forever.

Cori and Mark had often pondered the idea of a destination wedding. A few years ago, Schell Brothers hosted an incentive sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands for some of their Construction Team members and “guests”. After much deliberation (yeah, right), Cori was chosen to be Mark’s guest of honor. They fell in love with the islands, the water, the people of the BVI, and the experience of living on a boat for 8 days. In August of 2020, they got engaged in Ocean City, MD (Cori's hometown). It was a magical day on the water with Mary (Cori’s mom) and Mark (Cori’s stepdad) on their boat through the waters of the Sinepuxent and the Assawoman. As the day unfolded, they found themselves anchored up on The Wedge, followed by a surprise proposal on the Assateague Jetty (Cori’s favorite place in the world). It was, simply put, “the best day ever”. Those times in the BVI’s and O.C. were some of most memorable of their lives. So, when it came time to plan their wedding, they knew that they wanted to experience again those things that made their BVI trip and their engagement day so unique and unforgettable: Sea. Adventure. Mystique. Exploration.