Jameson and I were set up by mutual friends. Unbeknownst to us we were at their wedding two years earlier but our paths did not cross until Jameson moved back to Boston, roughly a mile down the road from where I was living at the time. At the suggestion of these friends, he reached out to me for a date in February of 2014. The day we were supposed to meet, a snow storm rolled through Boston; both native to New England we decided to brave the storm. As the snow piled up a foot at a time, we stayed warm with cocktails and good conversation. We were enjoying ourselves so much – that we lost track of time and the restaurant staff kindly had to ask us to leave. I was so glad to receive a call from Jameson the next afternoon asking me out again. After a few weeks the snow was still accumulating in and around Boston – so we played ‘hooky’ from work and went skiing. On the way home we decided to extend the day and go to one of my favorite restaurants. I didn’t know at the time but the meal we would eat that evening – would come to hold a new significance.

On December 14, 2015, on an ordinary Monday, I returned home from work to find Jameson preparing dinner and cocktails. He had set the table with fresh flowers. Since he is a romantic and often makes these types of gestures, I didn’t think much of it, but when I realized that he had replicated the meal from our date that evening I knew something was different. He would have had to go to great lengths to get the ingredients needed for the meal. When I asked him what the occasion was, he got down on one knee and proposed telling me that he started to ‘fall in love’ with me that night at the restaurant and now couldn’t imagine his life without me in it. The evening could not have been any more perfect – in the comfort and intimacy of our own home. In the days to follow we would celebrate with family and friends!

We set our date and the planning began! We had only 9 months until the big day, so we had our work cut out for us. I decided to shop locally at Cristina’s Bridal Salon. I took with me my maid of honor, mother in law, and mother. As they sipped pink champagne, I showed my bridal consultant a picture of a style I saw in a magazine – but the picture only showed the top of the dress. Without hesitation, she pulled the exact Paloma Blanca gown in the photo. Luckily the bottom of the dress and the back, which was accented with a modest silk bow and crystal straps, was equally as beautiful as the top view from the photo. This was the first dress I tried on and I purchased it the same day!

Fast forward to July 16, 2016. We were married at the State Room in downtown Boston, a venue that offers guests a magnificent view of the Boston city skyline with floor to ceiling windows spanning the length of the room. We danced and sang the night away with 125 of our closest friends and family, every part of the day was perfection.