Jared and Sophia met the old fashioned way- at a bar! The night of February 5th changed their lives forever. At the time, Sophia was living and working in Syracuse as a teacher and Jared was living in Brooklyn. This particular weekend, Jared was visiting home and decided to meet up with some friends at Wolff's Biergarten in Downtown Syracuse. Sophia was already there, socializing with her friends and coworkers. Sophia and Jared say that when they saw each other, it was love at first sight! Sophia had one too many and accidentally gave Jared a phone number with eight digits instead of seven. The two had planned to go out on a date the following week. When Jared did not call, Sophia thought Jared was the one who got away. But their story does not end there. Two weeks later, Sophia logged onto her Instagram account to like a friend's photo. Sophia does not use social media regularly so when she saw a direct message she was very surprised. The message had been from Jared. It was sent the day after they had met. He had expressed that despite receiving an unreachable number, he still had a wonderful time getting to know Sophia and wanted to take her on that date he had asked her on two weeks prior. Needless to say, that date went well. The two have been together ever since.

Jared popped the question in Newport, Rhode Island on a private sailboat at sunset. Newport, Rhode Island is a very special place for both the bride and the groom. The trip to Newport was planned exclusively by Jared as a birthday present to Sophia. The weekend had to be rescheduled several times due to inclement weather. When Sophia was presented with the proposal, she was so stunned she said "Thank you!" repeatably. The two then had a champagne toast at 22 Bowen's overlooking the Newport Harbor to celebrate their engagement.