THE

BEGINNING

On January 26, 2019, Jenn and Ben received texts from Joan Ruttenberg.

Note: Joan is Jenn’s cousin and Joan’s son, Seth, and Ben have been friends since birth.

Jenn & Joan’s conversation:

Ben & Joan’s conversation:

A month later, Ben finally reached out and asked Jenn out for drinks at Good Dog Bar. The date was just ok, but luckily Ben thought it was worth another shot and he asked Jenn out to go bowling at Lucky Strike. They hit it off and have been inseparable ever since.

THE

PROPOSAL

Jenn had been suspicious for months and looking for any excuse to think they were getting engaged. There were multiple times Jenn was “sure it was happening!”

The morning of the proposal, her sister, Ashley, convinced her she was just being paranoid again. Later that morning on the beach, Ashley started taking pictures of Jenn, Ben, and their puppy, Huckleberry. Jenn was hoping they were getting engaged but nothing happened.

Disappointed, Jenn decided (in her head) that the proposal wasn’t happening… again. After playing with Huck on the beach, she looked up and saw their friend and professional photographer, Zara Neifield. Zara claimed she was “just on a walk.” Confused, yet hopeful, Jenn looked up at Ben. Ben looked Jenn in the eyes and said, “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” He then continued to get down on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” Jenn immediately said, “Yes!”

To Jenn’s amazement, a beautiful beach picnic was set up a couple blocks away with her favorite champagne, pastries, and fresh raspberries from their garden back home. After soaking in the start of their exciting new adventure, they went back to the shore house where their immediate families were waiting for them to celebrate. The house was magically decorated with pictures of them, confetti, and a beautiful balloon arch.

The surprises continued later that evening with an engagement party with some of their aunts, uncles, and cousins. They celebrated into the night with tacos, champagne toasts, and lots of laughs and smiles.