How we Met

Nina and Jeff first met in the fall of 2020 when Jeff subbed for Nina’s sand volleyball team in downtown Cleveland, thanks to their mutual friend Drew Stroemple. Despite receiving minimal sets from Nina that night, Jeff still made a point of seeking Nina out to tell her how great it was to meet her. He was smitten from the jump, texting one of his friends that he thought he’d just met his future wife. However, after weeks of building up the courage to message her, one of Jeff’s friends, Aileen O’Hearn, took his phone and sent a message to Nina for him. One week later, and a near last minute cancellation from Nina, the two went to Humble Wine bar, in Lakewood, for their first date.

Nina and Jeff hit it off right away, and after a few date nights around Cleveland, and meeting the friends and family, Jeff asked Nina to officially be his girlfriend. Nina looked at him and said, “um, not yet”. “Well then you’ll have to ask me,” Jeff had said, “because I’m not asking again”, A few weeks later Nina came to her senses and decided it was time.

Over the years Jeff and Nina have furthered their relationship by bonding over board games, playing cards, playing golf together, their shared careers, cooking together, Cleveland sports (primarily the Browns), comedy shows, concerts, and the activity that originally brought them together – sand volleyball.

Our Proposal

In May 2023, the night after JoAnn’s 60th birthday, Jeff asked both Joe and JoAnn for their blessing to marry Nina. The Catlins were planning on taking their annual trip to the French River in Ontario and Nina was joining for the first time. The plan was to have both families, together in Canada, at Jeff’s families’ lake house on the French River in Ontario. The Ovnics would arrive on the day of the engagement to surprise Nina immediately following the proposal.

On the morning of Wednesday July 26th, Jeff and Nina went for a canoe ride to a remote, quiet bay known as hidden lake. It was back in this bay that they got out on land to fish. Using Rob’s drone (Jeff’s brother) as a distraction, Jeff moved behind Nina to get down on one knee…

When they returned to the island, the Ovnics came out from hiding to surprise Nina, and Jeff’s plan was a success! Both families spent the rest of the week at the lake house together celebrating the newly engaged couple, and for Jeff and Nina, having everyone together in such a beautiful place made for an unforgettable proposal filled with lasting memories.

Hilton Cleveland Downtown