Lea and Javian wouldn’t be writing this story without the influence of our friends. It was Lea’s first Spring Break as a new teacher and of course it was cause for celebration with her friends. Whereas Javian’s friends, and he quotes, “dragged him out of the house against his will.” A night out at a local bar in Lawrenceville, New Jersey turned into the place where they first met. Despite exchanging more than a few glances, it took until an announcement for “last call” and a little nudge from one of Lea’s friends for Javian to “shoot his shot at the buzzer.”

After two and a half years of being a couple and a year of living together, their relationship became stronger, which solidified Javian's desire to spend forever with Lea. Everything went according to his plan but suddenly... COVID-19! Despite the pandemic, they found that there was no place they'd rather be but with each other. So, Javian went through the process of ring shopping, and even though he had many suggestions for the best ring, he choose the PERFECT ring. On August 30, 2020, they went for their usual morning walk over the bridge on the Centennial Lake in Lawrenceville. That became the moment where Lea said "yes" to become the future Mrs. Clarke!