Meg and Joe first met while working together at Kutztown University. They both worked as part of the same "team"; however, they had different roles entirely. Meg worked as a freshman mentor and Joe worked as a desk receptionist, for the dorm that Meg lived in. While working as a desk receptionist, Joe would often see Meg walking by. He was amazed at how beautiful he thought she was. Joe would try to make small talk with her from time to time, but nothing really seemed to stick. At least not for Meg. Feeling determined in his quest to court "the great white buffalo", Joe asked Meg if she wanted to hangout. At first, Meg shot down the attempt; however, luckily for our story, Joe did not give up. After much persistence, Meg finally agreed to go on a date with Joe. The night of their first date, Joe walked over to Meg's dorm room to pick her up. He thought Meg looked absolutely stunning and was blown away at just how gorgeous he thought she was. As they were about to leave, Joe opened the car door for Meg - a gesture that comes second nature to Joe and one in which he didn't have to give much thought to. Meg was shocked by this small gesture, as no guy had previously ever opened a car door for her. When they arrived at Armetta’s, the Italian restaurant that Joe had made reservations for, the two talked for hours about all kinds of things - family, school, hobbies, interests, friends, life goals. You name it, they probably talked about it. The date was perfect, and both couldn't have been happier to be in each other's presence. And that's the story. It all began as two coworkers who were on the same "team", but never really working together. That relationship quickly blossomed into a partnership that resembles the strongest of teams. Both Meg and Joe consider each other their best friend and true love. And now, they look to begin the next chapter of their lives together.

Before we get to how the proposal unfolded, let's talk a bit about the ring itself. Joe wanted to provide Meg with an engagement ring that was just as unique, beautiful, and as stunning as he found Meg to be. Joe also wanted to get a ring that made a statement in more ways than one. To him, a diamond wouldn't cut it. Instead, he wanted something bright, colorful, and memorable to anyone who saw it. Joe knew that Meg's favorite color was blue. He also knew that she loved blue/green bi-colored sapphires, as they reminded her of the ocean (her happy place). Understanding the core of what Joe had in mind for the ring, he got the ring custom made in Seattle, WA. The ring was not made by just any jeweler though. No. This engagement ring was made by a company that certified the ethical sourcing of all of their stones. Additionally, all of the metal in Meg's ring are made from 100% recycled materials. Joe knew that ethical sourcing and recycled materials meant a lot to Meg, as she had mentioned this to Joe beforehand. In addition, this jeweler donates money to the Plant-It 2020 foundation, meaning that for every piece of jewelry bought a tree would be planted in its place! Having a tree planted in her name made Meg almost as happy as when she received her engagement ring!

Planning the perfect proposal is not easy. In fact, Joe thought it would be impossible. Meg is extremely observant of any, and all, details. As you can imagine, this made planning the perfect proposal all the more complicated. Joe always wanted the proposal to take place in a location that was really special to the both of them. Anyone that knows Meg knows how much she loves Boston, and Massachusetts in general. While she lived in Boston, Meg and Joe had visited Salem several times. Between it’s history, charm, and coastal views, Salem always had a special spot in their hearts. Now that Joe had the perfect location, he just had to figure out how to get Meg there without her knowing. He surprised Meg with a weekend trip to Wingaersheek Beach - Meg’s most favorite beach in Gloucester, MA. This was the decoy. While in MA on an early Saturday morning, Joe woke Meg up and told her that he wanted to go to Salem for coffee before heading out to the beach. Meg was excited about going to Salem, of course, but was most certainly not excited about being woken up early on a Saturday morning. Once Joe and Meg arrived in Salem, he nervously took her to Wharf street, a really pretty spot, on the dock, alongside the water. Joe felt like it was the perfect spot in the perfect city for him to propose. As the couple walked alongside the water, Joe and Meg stopped to gaze upon the calm water as boats gently rode by. This was it. This was the moment. Joe knew it was all falling into place, and he took his opportunity. Joe knelt down on one knee and popped the question. Meg, smiling ear to ear, exclaimed, "Yes!" It never dawned on Joe that it was a real possibility that he would be able to plan the perfect proposal, but to them, on that day and for the rest of their life, the proposal was nothing short of perfection.

Though COVID-19 put a wrench in the original wedding planning, Joe and Meg decided that they did not want to wait to get married any longer. That being said, it was equally important, to both of them, that they kept their family and friends safe. The day that they decided to postpone their wedding, was the day that they decided to elope in Maine. Before planning a wedding at Glen Foerd, Joe and Meg had briefly discussed having a more intimate ceremony in New England. Once they realized that it would not be feasible for some family members to travel, they decided to have a larger wedding in Philadelphia. COVID-19 was awful in so many ways; however, in this particular situation, it allowed Meg and Joe to revisit their original plan of having a smaller scale wedding in New England. Both had vacationed in Maine before and absolutely loved it! The scenery, the people, the energy - it quickly became Joe's favorite state and another reason why Meg fell in love with New England. This past summer, Maine was one of the few states that had low COVID numbers compared to the rest of the country, making the decision as safe as possible for a ceremony. On Thursday, July 30th, Joseph and Meg eloped in Cape Neddick, Maine. Being able to spend the entire experience with just each other made it the most perfect, most intimate, day of their lives. To them, expressing their love for one another is what weddings are all about. The elopement consisted of an intimate ceremony where Meg and Joe exchanged their own personal vows, followed by a lovely toast of champagne. They continued the celebration by taking pictures in the surrounding area and having a picnic where they shared a slice of blueberry pie (Maine is known for their blueberries and Joe prefers pie over the traditional cake). Finally, when all was said and done, Joe and Meg had their first meal as a married couple - lobster rolls and french fries (which was eaten safely in their room). The day was perfect :)