romanced by romano

Rachel and Vin matched on Bumble back in August of 2018. Knowing that they both were Monmouth Alumni made meeting in person less stressful as they both had some mutual connections. They decided to meet at Pier 13 in Hoboken, an outdoor bar and food-truck space to keep the energy comfortable. They couldn't stop talking to each other in the lead up, but Vin wanted to make sure they had things to discuss for the big date. Cue the first date on September 8, 2018. Rachel was making her way to meet Vin at Pier 13, booking an Uber ahead of time to ensure she got to the date on time (she has a habit of being fashionably late). On the way to Hoboken, Rachel and the Uber driver hit a lot of traffic. So much so, the Uber driver got into an altercation with another driver on route 495. The Uber driver rolled down her window, flipped off the other driver, and took out her taser gun - yes, you read that right. The Uber driver turned to Rachel in the back seat and said, "Don't worry honey, I got this so no one will mess with me!" and buzzed the taser gun twice to show Rachel it worked. Rachel was having a panic attack. While Rachel was on the Uber ride of her life, Vin was getting ready and did a couple of pushups before leaving to meet her. He Uber-ed himself to Hoboken (his ride was much easier than hers). Upon arrival, he sees that Pier 13 is closed for the season. "Oh, c'mon!" he grumbled, as he tried to figure out a plan b. By the time Rachel made it to Vin, she was ready to jump out of the car, and he was waiting outside of Pier 13, calm, cool, collected, and no longer grumbling. Rachel rolled down the window and her "smile and dimples" (his words) caught Vin immediately. Since Pier 13 was closed, plan b was in motion. Vin hopped into Rachel's Uber and the two drove over to Shephard and the Knucklehead, a local bar/restaurant in uptown Hoboken, for drinks and some food. After a short-but-giddy meet-cute in the back of an Uber, and luckily no taser gun reappearances, Vin and Rachel arrived at the Shep. After Rachel debriefed Vin on her Uber ride down (he likely wouldn't have gotten in the car if he'd known), the two drank cold beer and snacks, including buffalo chicken egg rolls, which wound up being the couple's favorite. If you know, you know, this couple is big into food. Post egg roll comas, the two walked over to the Biergarten for some more drinks and first-date chatter. In the crowded bar, Vin advised Rachel to stand in front of the bar as she'd likely get the bartender's attention. She acted, and she did. Before they knew it, it was 2AM and it was way past closing time. Over the course of five years (going on six by the time these two get hitched), Rachel and Vin have traveled to Italy, Maine, North Carolina, and Key West (to name a few), enjoyed any outing that involved pasta and red wine, made a home in Jersey City and adopted a dog named Betty, and had never encountered a taser-holding Uber driver since their first date. They cannot wait for what's to come and to celebrate with you on their wedding day!