4/22 we say I do!

Our wedding will be held inside Luray Caverns with a reception to follow at Shawnee Farms Estate. We are emphasizing sustainability to minimize our wedding’s environmental impact, so please do all you can to follow suit!

We met in 2019 as part of the same friend group. The first night we met, I asked for Randy’s number and put him in my phone as “Randy 😍 Mintz.” He made me laugh so much and I knew he was the best kind of person. Shortly after meeting each other, our friend Carli recalls me saying how much I “love” Randy, which stuck out to her because I didn’t know him all that well at that point. It seems on some level I always knew Randy was the one! We stayed friends for a little while and in August of 2020, after dinner with friends on a rainy night, Randy walked me home under a shared umbrella and pulled me in for a kiss. With that cinematic moment, sparks flew and we started spending more time together. We went on our first weekend trip together to stay at a treehouse in Shenandoah, stopping at Luray Caverns on our way there. Staff were actually preparing for a wedding that evening during our tour, which planted the idea in my head for the future! Randy asked me to make our relationship official that weekend, so Luray and the Shenandoah Valley have a special place in our hearts. A few months later, we said “I love you” while on a hike through Rock Creek Park and we’ve since been building our lives together. July 3, 2022, Randy proposed and in October of 2022, we bought a house together and have been working to make it feel like home. I’m so excited to say “I do” on 4/22 and spend the rest of our lives together!

I knew Skyler wanted a proposal somewhere significant in front of family including my parents, so the annual Fourth of July family gathering at her parent’s lakeside New Hampshire home was the perfect place and time. I worked with Skyler’s niece Alex and mom Diane to put together something special. I was intimidated putting together the perfect moment for the perfect future wife, so I greatly appreciated their guidance. Skyler suspected I would propose on or around the fourth, so I did all I could to maintain an element of surprise. On 7/3/22, Skyler had just finished getting ready for the day and I told her in a panic, “I’m trying to plan the proposal, but everything’s going all wrong, come with me to talk it over?” She assured me everything would be perfect even if I just asked the question and did nothing else. I maintained my aura of panic as we walked out to the backyard by the lake and sat on a bench. I told her how much I love her while family quietly gathered on the deck behind us. I got down on one knee and pulled out the ring to propose. She replied, teary-eyed, “yes of course!” and we turned around to see her whole family and a “will you marry me?” banner. Everyone shot off compostable confetti in the air and cheered. Our then future sister-in-law Jay, who had been hiding behind trees photographing from afar, stepped out to take more photos and then we all went inside for a joint engagement party with her niece Alex and now sister-in-law Jay. Oh, and we have that special proposal bench in our yard! I can’t wait to marry my best friend and soulmate!