Ashley and Morgan met thanks to two mutual friends in June 2016.

One morning while looking for a way to spend the day, Ashley’s high school BFF Kate Foy and now-husband Ryan, reached out to Morgan to see if he was around to hang out. Ryan knew Morgan from their time working together at the Redding Country Club, and they ended up going for a ride around Candlewood Lake on the Perry family boat, where the conversation turned to Morgan and whether he was in fact, single and ready to mingle. At Ryan’s suggestion and Kate’s endorsement, it was determined that Morgan and Ash should meet and just might hit it off.

After some texts and phone calls, Morgan agreed to trek into Ashley’s neck of the woods for a first date in the Queens, NY neighborhood of Astoria. They shared fried alligator bites and dinner at one of Ash’s favorite spots: the Creole restaurant Sugar Freak which still stands today. Rather than getting to know each other over a series of additional dates, Morgan spent the next several weeks at Ashley’s side while she recovered from surgery that left her couch-ridden. They watched movies, played board games, and generally began to fall for each other. When she recovered enough to begin using a wheelchair, he planned their first date with full accessibility in mind: they spent hours wandering the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, followed ironically - but to both of their amusement - by a shared insatiable craving for sushi which they shamelessly fulfilled afterward at a nearby Japanese restaurant.

In October, shortly after making things official on August 7, 2016, they took their first trip as a couple for Morgan’s 26th birthday: a long weekend at the Perry family house in Ludlow, Vermont. This would be Ashley’s first meaningful introduction to a place that had long held a special spot in Morgan’s heart and would go on to serve as a treasured, repeated destination throughout their relationship in the years that followed. Their time in Vermont would be spent skiing, hiking, and taking day trips to Burlington, and later, would be where Morgan proposed. Now, it’s where they will be married!

Morgan and Ashley want to thank their friends and family for joining them in this special place where they grew their love.