Our story begins in May 2019 when Jenni and Samela went to a bridal shower together for a friend they graduated PA school with. Over dinner Samela asked who Jenni was taking as her 'plus one' to the wedding. It was in Atlantic City, NJ so it was sure to be a blast! Jenni had every intention of going by herself. Samela was insistent that she take her childhood friend, Rich, that way it could be 4 of them including Samela's husband Chris to enjoy the weekend at the beach. After some convincing, Jenni agreed, but under one condition- no funny business and this was strictly as friends!

Samela gave Rich Jenni's phone number so they could chat and get to know one another prior to the wedding. They had conversations here and there, and then a few days prior to the wedding Rich asked Jenni to car pool to the wedding. Jenni laughed and said " You know I live in PA... right?". Rich claims to this day that Samela left that detail out. Jenni offered Rich to back out since it was a 5 hour drive to NJ, but he still wanted to accompany her.

The four of them met up the night prior to the wedding. Samela and Jenni were walking to the store when Rich arrived, and Jenni instantly had her foot in her mouth- she wasnt expecting him to be so handsome and charming when he introduced himself!

They walked the boardwalk together and came across a crane machine- Jenni’s addiction. It was filled with Rottweiler stuffed animals and she was persistent she needed one to bring home to Goliath. After $35, she gave up and they carried on with the night.

They went to dinner at Sugar Factory and Rich asked Jenni if she wanted to split a burger. Jenni quickly shut that down and wanted to get her own. Rich thought she didnt like him very much. The four of them navigated to Ocean Nightclub. Jenni was so nervous and stiff as a board, but after a few lemon drop shots she was ready show off her dance moves. She and Rich instantly hit it off, and the four of them danced the night away.

They accompanied each other to the wedding the following day and had a blast for the second day. They went for a walk by the beach at night, and while Rich thought they would have a nice conversation, Jenni took off running down the beach. You see, after a few drinks shes the friend that takes off on an adventure.

The third day came and it was time to say good bye. We were all sad that the weekend was over, but we knew it would come to an end. Jenni gave Rich a broken seashell she found on the beach and said “Here, a broken seashell to remind you of my broken heart now that this weekend is over” and laughed it off. Rich drove back to Connecticut, and Jenni drove back to Pennsylvania.

Jenni drove home from that weekend not knowing what the future held, but reasoned with herself the entire ride that whatever was supposed to happen, would.

The following Monday Jenni came home from work to a little brown box in the mail. The return address was from Rich. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she opened the box and there was the Rottweiler stuffed animal from the boardwalk with a card stating how much fun he had, how he hoped to see her again, and he wished that Goliath enjoyed his stuffed doppelgänger. Turns out after they said their goodbyes, he went back to the boardwalk by himself and put $5 in the machine, said a quick prayer, and won it on the first try!

Well, that won her over. They made plans for Rich to come to Pennsylvania 3 weeks later. Rich told Jenni through their conversations that he always wanted to feed a giraffe- it was on his bucket list. So naturally, Jenni arranged for them to feed a giraffe together at the local zoo for their first official date!

Rich and Jenni continued to hit it off following their first weekend together in Pennsylvania, so Rich asked Jenni to accompany him to his friend Nicole’s wedding, as someone else cancelled last minute. Jenni quickly agreed and went to Connecticut to accompany him to their second wedding together, and meet his family.


The wedding was a blast, and like their first meeting, they danced the night away. After a few drinks Rich told Jenni that night that he was going to marry her one day, she brushed it off and said “Ha! OK prove it!”. They came home from the wedding and Rich’s mom greeted her with open arms, hugging her and kissing her telling her in Portuguese that she was the daughter she has always wanted- they still laugh about it to this day as she was not holding back. Rich and Jenni will always LOVE weddings.

Jenni never thought that a simple yes to taking a stranger to a wedding as her plus one would completely change the direction of her life. From 2019-2022 the two shared so many memories, made it through the pandemic, and traveled back and forth from Connecticut to Pennsylvania every weekend (mostly Rich).


Jenni has always wanted to go to Nashville so Rich suggested they go there for their 2022 vacation, but asked if his best friends Matt and Samella, who are both photographers, could go with them. Jenni thought the four of them would have a blast in Nashville, but Rich really asked them to come along to photograph him proposing to Jenni. Matt and Samella got stuck in the airport with countless delays on her birthday weekend, but they were still persistent to make it to Nashville in time for the big moment. Two days later they arrived in Nashville around 11pm.


The last day in Nashville, the four friends were going to their final dinner together, but before they went Matt asked if they could stop at a bridge that overlooks the city to take some pictures for a jewelry brand they promoted. Samella modeled the jewelry and Matt took the photos, while Jenni complained that she was hungry and hot. Matt offered to take a picture of Rich and Jenni on the bridge, Jenni declined and said she was too hot, but Matt insisted they take a picture! Well, mid picture Rich pulled a little white box out of his back pocket and got down on one knee- proving that what he told her in 2019 was indeed true. Jenni instantly knew she was going to say yes!


Rich still has the broken seashell from Atlantic City that Jenni gave to him kept in a jar with sand from that weekend, and Goliath still has his precious Rottweiler stuffed animal in his toy collection.