Jennifer + Christopher | Married June 3, 2017
How Jennifer + Christopher met (from their questionnaire):
“July 3, 2012 is a day that will forever be etched into my heart. I had just arrived to South Haven after four long years living in Los Angeles, CA. I was so excited to be home for the summer with my family- a carefree time before I started my first job in San Francisco, CA. My cousin Justin was dragging me out every night as his wing woman and the fireworks on July 3rd was no exception. With much grumbling, I told him I would brave the wild South Haven crowds to watch the fireworks with him. At the end of the night, aka 10pm, this old lady was ready to go home. I was not in the mood to have a night out on the town with my cousin, as much as I love him. After more pleading, I told him I would go to one bar with him. The first bar we landed at was Black River Tavern (BRT). Little did I know that this would be the place that my whole life would change. Not long into the night, my good friend from high school Erika Daggett arrived. Anyone who knows Erika or me knows that there was a multitude of squeals, screams of excitement and hugs when we saw each other. When the excitement resolved, she turned to this guy and said, “Oh, this is my cousin Chris. It’s his birthday!” Little did I know this “cousin” of hers was destined to be my future husband. The first time that I saw Chris, I couldn’t get over his eyes. It was the first thing I noticed about him- the long eye lashes, the deep brown color, the way they lit up while he was talking… And then his laugh. Anyone that knows Chris knows his laugh. It comes easily and transforms his whole face. I told him it sounded like a 12 year old school girl- not my best pick up line- but it seemed to do the trick. After that, we talked and laughed all night. At the end of the night, we had lost Justin and my cell phone had died as did Chris’ flip phone. I texted my mom from a borrowed phone to come pick us up. She and my Uncle Charlie had been alternating as our DDs. Erika and her friends were ready to leave, rightly so it was 2:30 in the morning. I told Chris to go with them as they were his rides and that I would wait for my mom and/or Justin to finally find me. He refused and said “I would rather walk home then leave you.” Granted, Erika didn’t live anywhere near town. My mom finally arrived and Justin came wobbling in just in time to get a ride. As Chris walked me to my car and met my mother, I got in thinking, wow, what a stand up guy. And as we drove away, my mom said “well, he was cute!”
The next day (4th of July) Chris sent me a very very long text saying how much fun he had the night before, which ended with an invitation to go on a date with him. My job in San Francisco was set to start at the end of week (or so I thought) and I was hesitant to go out on a date with him knowing that I was supposed to leave for California in a few days. Later in the day, my future boss emailed me saying that they could not start paying me until the end of July and that I should continue my Michigan vacation until then. I immediately texted Chris that I would love to go out with him. At this point, things started to seem like fate. From our chance meeting on his birthday to my extended vacation, things seemed to be happening this way for a reason. Although I still planned to move to California for my job, this relationship seemed worth bringing with me. Chris and I started our long distance adventure at the end of July 2012 and haven’t looked back since. “
Venue: Loft 310 Kalamazoo
Floral: Fond of Florals
Cake: Simple Sweets
Dress: Enzoani
