Rehearsal Dinner

Savard Beer & Board

Welcome Party

Frank H. Kenan Chapel

Ceremony

Our House!!

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Head downtown on the Trolly with us! 

Our Wedding

How we met

"online dating is a cesspool and not a lovely place for a lot of people so going online and saying oh she would make a lovely wife from a photo is......" -Josh B: Josh and I met on Hinge and exchanged about one message a day, verrrrry slow and steady, the picture above was my favorite (well traveled) and I liked that he was an oyster farmer (hardworking) went to Chapel Hill (smart) and was a software engineer (work in similar fields). J: Before she said anything I remember I thought she was pretty, was a fun person, drank Millers and traveled places, she was athletic (a runner). Also liked that she went to Chapel Hill and didn't mind that she was a little older (1.5 years). I was surprised that she was still interested in me after so long so I took the initiative and asked her favorite Italian restaurant in town and then I told her I made a reservation for it. I asked her when she was free (was on a Tuesday because she was really heavily traveling for work and so she was never in town) and we were on our way to our first date.

B: I felt like I knew NOTHING about Josh before our first date, but when he asked me my favorite Italian (Olivero) and then when he told me that is where we were going I figured I'd go for a free meal at my favorite place. I was SO nervous I remember telling the uber driver on the way there that it was my first date and I had some champagne before to calm my nerves. Didn't work-was still nervous, walked in and there Josh was waiting for me. We hugged, walked to our table and immediately I could see how calm Josh was (my favorite thing about him). I let him pick everything we ate (because I figured he would be paying even if the date didn't end up great). The first thing I remember really liking about him was when he was telling a story about his mom and his sister. My mom always told me you learn a lot about a man by how he talks about/loves his mom, and that was so apparent. Josh was so confident, he would throw little compliments my way and stun me-always getting me to smile. After dinner I suggested a second location so we were on the hunt for Josh's favorite beer- Teaches Peaches. Texted my friend group and they navigated us to Lula's where we stumbled in on an open mic night, so not my typical scene, but Josh and I were giggling in the corner and I was having such a great time. Then he drove me home, walked me to the door, met the roommates and then tried to leave without kissing me but I didn't let him. Then he drove home and hit me with that first text up top.J: Our first date was incredible - just like Bianca. I had the same thoughts (mostly) as she did going into the date: "I don't really know this person but at least I'll have a good meal tonight!"One of the most memorable moments of the first date was when she walked in the restaurant. She was stunning. I had to compose myself to greet her, and again as we walked to the table. She was more gorgeous than I realized from looking at a few photos of her.During the date it was apparent that Bianca was nervous. I really enjoyed her fast talking and refusal of silence. She was full of questions. She insisted I ask them back. We found that we were eerily similar people. During our game of 20 questions I showed my hand a bit and asked for her phone number. I liked her and I wanted to make sure she knew it!After dinner we went to a bar and then I took her home. On her doorstep, she batted her eyes plenty to let me know it was time for a goodnight kiss. I acted oblivious and smiled through her nervousness-induced-shy-fit as her thoughts raced to figure out why I hadn't already leapt into her arms. She's a smart woman, so she called my bluff and started to say goodnight anyways. We kissed, I drove home with my jaw dropped, and I've been thinking about her since!

The first date 

B: Josh waited THREE days to text me again after our first date. I remember asking coworkers if I should text him or not, but I held out. He lived in Topsail and I was going up there for a bachelorette trip so I was hoping I'd get the chance to let it slip in conversation. It did! He texted me first! I thought the second date was just a coffee shop on the way out of town for the bachelorette but it ended up being a 10 hour second date. Most memorable for me was going to the Sea Turtle Hospital and taking a tour (I loved so much how Josh made plans for us) and at the end of the tour I wanted to ask a question about how long turtles can stay under water (30-45 mins awake and up to 5 HOURS asleep!!) but I was too nervous to so Josh asked for me. Later that day we went to the Salty Turtle and sat outside where we couldn't stop staring into each other's eyes until it was time for me to make the long drive home I would come to know well.J: Our second date was full of surprises. I met Bianca for coffee, and she was nervous again- but this time it didn't last. She had her moments though. After coffee, we went to the Surf City Turtle Hospital for a tour and Bianca was too shy to ask a question. I asked it for her, and she was so tickled that she said she'd always remember the answer. Neither of us wanted to end the date, so we spent the day together trying to find things to do while we talked and came to know each other. Lunch, a walk, and a long drive later we said goodbye. I gave her a small gift; the glass bottle from our first date filled with some wildflowers. I was worried that the essence of the romantic gesture would be lost, that she wouldn't recognize the bottle, but she did immediately. She still has that bottle and treasures it as much as she did then. During our long conversation, at times I found myself nervous. I recognized the irony; she grew more comfortable and I grew more nervous as we deepened our initial connection. I realized then that I barely knew her. I mistakenly had this impression that she was a shy person. What else had I missed? The more I learned about Bianca, the more she wowed me. I left this date with a Bianca-sized hole forming in my heart ;)

The 10 Hour Second Date

B: I planned this one! We went to Benny's and sat at the bar, we split wine, he poured my glass for me when it got close to empty (so romantic). Then we went to a Pop Punk cover band and met up with Emily Kinney and Zach and took these famous photos at a photo booth in an arcade before heading to my house and talking for hours. We had been seeing each other for a week and a half at this point so I was stunned when Josh asked me to be his girlfriend (I didn't say anything the first time) and after he asked again I said yes!! So happy!!J: At the end of date number three, I asked Bianca to be my girlfriend. We planned on having dinner and attending a concert, and Bianca being the good roommate, made sure it was ok with her roommates that I slept on the couch. I made one comment about how her couch was uncomfortable the next day and she hasn't stopped giving me sass about it. We split an excellent pizza for dinner and I met her friends for the first time at the concert. Bianca tried to outdrink me and we both ended up in the bottom of the bottle- I'm not a liquor drinker but I was able to keep up with her. We smooched in a photobooth, made our way to her house, and a little after midnight I told her the culmination of thoughts I'd been having since we met - that I would be a fool if I didn't ask her out. That she was, and is, my dream girl, and the more I learned about her the more interested in her I was. I told her that if I wrote down my dream girl on a piece of paper, Bianca beats anything I could write down; she's more perfect than whatever my imagination could come up with. She made me ask her to be my girlfriend twice, but I persevered(!) and now we're planning a wedding.

Date number Three

B: After finding out I would be heading to London for two months on a work assignment I was toggling between thoughts of when Josh would propose. We had already looked at engagement rings and were designing it together (love bombing??) so I knew it would be coming I just didn't know when. Option 1: My grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary weekend. Option 2: When Josh came over to visit me in London. Option 3: For Christmas because Josh would be worried about traveling with the ring (he is very security conscious and skeptical about cities). Back to option 1. We spent the entire weekend with my aunts and uncles and cousins and I was bugging Josh every single minute about whether or not he had the ring to propose before I left for London on Monday. He kept throwing me off by telling me that he could give the designer a call to rush order it and I believed him. That morning Emily Prosser (who gave me the three different timeline options in the first place) asked for a picture of my left hand, so I sent her one with Josh in the background, empty of a ring. I was sure it wasn't coming. We spent the rest of the day rushing around finishing things up with family before heading home to cook chili and say my goodbyes to Amber, Taylor and Lauren. We rushed to Harris Teeter and as we are heading home Josh forgot the groceries in the car so I waited for him to remember and turn around to grab them. When he did I saw that distinct square box in his back pocket and asked him "what is that??" Right from there the clock started, Josh got the groceries inside and told me we had to go to the new house if he was going to tell me. (We bought a house first-a little out of order-we know!!) The whole ride there I was completely silent thinking either we were about to get engaged or Josh was about to teach me some sort of lesson and he would reveal it wasn't ring box at all. As soon as we got in front of the house I knew and when Josh rounded the other side of the car with tears in his eyes I knew even more. I had always wondered how when my friends got engaged and I asked them what their fiancé said they would say they blacked out and couldn't remember, so I tried extra hard to not forget a single thing he said. I remember him getting on his knee and saying he wanted to propose in the place we were going to start our lives together, and then some point he takes out the ring and very quickly after I say yes! (Blacked out-cant remember) It was drizzling, we were in baseball caps on the sidewalk (because we hadn't closed on the house yet) and it was so perfect. I was so surprised and so excited!!J: I've never been more nervous. Funny enough, I wasn't nervous about asking Bianca to marry me, or what her answer might be - I had no inkling of a plan going into the weekend. I had a ring in my bag throughout Bianca's grandparents' anniversary weekend, where I met her extended family for the first time. She was leaving for a two month work trip come Monday and I had to ask her before then. Letting her leave without a ring on her finger was not an option. She teased me all weekend, not knowing that I had the ring. It wasn't expected to be back from the jeweller for another few weeks. She said, "Do you even want to marry me at this point?", and other heavy handed teasing talk phrases with a huge grin, while I had to hide smiles. I had the last laugh though; I had the ring. Sunday, I snuck away and asked her father for her hand. I told him I would ask her in the morning; I didn't make it 2 hours. We had a complicated evening, we had borderlined over-committed without a proposal planned. Everyone wanted to see Bianca before she was off on Monday. A small party, a church community group dinner, a proposal, and even a photoshoot fit into that lovely evening.We left Bianca's family reunion, went to the grocery store to get ingredients for the chili cookoff dinner later that evening, and I put the ring in my back pocket. I had found my small window of opportunity. I knew how I wanted to ask Bianca to be my wife, in front of the home we recently purchased together, and where we will get married (really just host the reception but I didn't know that then). On our way home, I would drive by the house and stop and drop to one knee. However, Bianca had modified our plans and this small window of opportunity I found disappeared. We went back to her house and my mind was racing. I forgot the groceries in the car while my thoughts were elsewhere. She reminded me, and saw the ring in my pocket as I bent over to get the groceries. In the most alarmed tone I've ever heard from her, she said, "What is that? Is that a ring box?" I laughed and sighed at the loss of surprise, but managed to convince her that I would only show her at our new home. We had a mostly silent drive over while smoke was rolling out of her ears. We arrived, and I started tearing up as we got out of the car. I managed to deliver my proposal through some tiny and manly tears. I told Bianca that I love the woman she is and I love the man she inspires me to be. That I'm excited to see the woman she will be, and the life we will build together. I got on one knee, asked her to marry me, and she said yes and kissed me through her tears, and we navigated a busy evening before she left for London the next day.

The engagement 

Our Story

Photos

Bridesmaids 

Micaela Cortner

Mia Hansen

Madison Whitesides

Sarah Ashcraft 

Katie Tate

Emily Kinney 

Emily Prosser

Ellie Brandt 

Groomsmen

Taylor Wiley

Casper Duell

Ozzy Osborne

Graham Farley

Reid Solomon 

David Sharpe

Chris Cotter

Wedding Party

We booked a room block here at the center of town, between the beach and downtown, however you are welcome to book any hotel of your choosing if you'd like to stay at the beach or downtown!

Homewood Suites By Hilton 

There are also several Airbnb’s around downtown if you prefer to stay in that area!! <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Wilmington--North-Carolina--United-States/homes?refinement_paths%5B%5D=%2Fhomes&amp;place_id=ChIJ1a7rDaL1qYkRMjAJhDhJZl4&amp;acp_id=90a9b290-c786-40f7-b01c-72110d2aa56c&amp;date_picker_type=calendar&amp;checkin=2026-04-03&amp;checkout=2026-04-05&amp;adults=4&amp;search_type=user_map_move&amp;query=Wilmington%2C%20North%20Carolina%2C%20United%20States&amp;flexible_trip_lengths%5B%5D=one_week&amp;monthly_start_date=2026-01-01&amp;monthly_length=3&amp;monthly_end_date=2026-04-01&amp;search_mode=regular_search&amp;price_filter_input_type=2&amp;price_filter_num_nights=2&amp;channel=EXPLORE&amp;room_types%5B%5D=Entire%20home%2Fapt&amp;selected_filter_order%5B%5D=room_types%3AEntire%20home%2Fapt&amp;selected_filter_order%5B%5D=price_max%3A693&amp;selected_filter_order%5B%5D=price_min%3A51&amp;update_selected_filters=false&amp;price_max=693&amp;price_min=51&amp;ne_lat=34.279876619654026&amp;ne_lng=-77.88669439593684&amp;sw_lat=34.19069611374864&amp;sw_lng=-77.95620130687956&amp;zoom=12.859294293649393&amp;zoom_level=12.859294293649393&amp;search_by_map=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Airbnb options downtown click link here </a> I set it for 4 people by default, but adjust that based on how big your group is.

Travel

Recreate our 1st date!

For our first date we went to Olivero- a delicious Spanish/Italian restaurant in downtown Wilmington. Definitely grab a dinner reservation, it's one of our favorites in Wilmington. Highly recommend the ribeye, chicken thighs, or any pasta dish!<a href="https://resy.com/cities/wilmington-nc/venues/olivero?seats=2&amp;date=2025-10-16" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://resy.com/cities/wilmington-nc/venues/olivero?seats=2&amp;date=2025-10-16</a>

Casual Food Recs

Prost (German Biergarten) Fork n Cork (American) Rebellion (Whiskey bar/sportsbar - get the sheet pan nachos) k38 (Baja Mexican) Islands (Fresh Mex) The Cargo District (Variety: Sushi, Japanese Corndogs, Empanadas, Tacos, etc)

Coffee

Ibis The Roastery Hidden Grounds Drift

Things to do 

Walk around historic downtown Wilmington Visit the Cargo District Visit the beach - Bianca's (Wrightsville) or Josh's (Topsail) Walk Wrightsville Beach loop Airlie Gardens Get ice cream at Wandering Cone

Sunday Church 

Join us at our home church for Easter! We will be at church at Downtown Presbyterian Church for service that starts at 10 am at 1502 Castle Street.

Things to Do

<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=garden%20party%20wedding%20guest&amp;rs=ac&amp;len=25&amp;source_id=ac_kniVvm6H&amp;eq=garden%20party%20wedding%20gues&amp;etslf=3658" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=garden%20party%20wedding%20guest&amp;rs=ac&amp;len=25&amp;source_id=ac_kniVvm6H&amp;eq=garden%20party%20wedding%20gues&amp;etslf=3658</a>

Things to Know 

Registry

What Is Cocktail Wedding Attire?

Cocktail Dresses to Add to Your Cart ASAP

What Guys Need to Know About Dress Codes

Click on "Things to Know" to see some inspo pics, but generally think pastels, patterns, long and midi length dresses for women. No jeans, no tux, but something like a jacket and a tie for gentlemen.

Josh & Bianca

Josh & Bianca

Wedding Party

Bridesmaids

Groomsmen