I love you and I like you

Three and a half years ago on a boardwalk on the Northern Jersey Coast, Sam and Joe’s first date, stretched into a marathon walk, coffee, snack, walk, sherbet, walk afternoon. Neither Sam nor Joe brought sunscreen and both ended up pretty sunburned by the time Joe walked Sam to her car and laughed when he realized they drove the exact same practical, tiny thing: a Honda Fit Over the next three years, Sam and Joe continued to adventure (and get sunburned) together, surfing, hiking, climbing, traveling, cooking, hanging out, and generally loving each other’s company. A little over three years later, Joe and Sam returned to the Jersey shore for a long weekend, and – on their first evening at the shore – Joe insisted they go for a walk. Joe had a plan, and – slightly more than half of you know what Joe is like when he has a plan – Sam and Joe were going for a walk. On the same shore where they met, with waves lapping gently in the background, Joe got down on one knee and asked Sam if she’d be willing to continue the walk for the rest of their lives. The half of you that know Joe might be a little concerned at this point that this was not a metaphor, but a literal request. Rest assured, Sam and Joe are still safely living in Philadelphia, rather than wandering across the plains of Iowa right now. Much more importantly, she said yes (hence this website and the upcoming celebration) In light of the current global pandemic, Sam and Joe began looking for places they could celebrate their love for and commitment to each other without causing a super-spreader event. Sam’s parents happen to live about two hours away from Philadelphia in Carlisle, and the more they thought about it, the more they fell in love with the idea of a backyard wedding. In fact, it turns out to be a tradition in the Bova and Glaser-Reich families. Both Candace and Russ and Ellen and Rick got married in their parents back yards too. We are very excited to welcome you to our celebration!