Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center

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Our Wedding

#MarryYourBestSaffrend

For years, Katie and Jarrad frequented Havana, a bar in New Hope, Pennsylvania. But they never met until January 11, 2015. After a chance encounter between their friend groups on the dance floor, they started talking.&nbsp;

With music blaring and people dancing all around them, Jarrad asked Katie about a freshly minted tattoo on her arm. The tattoo said, “All Those Yesterdays,” and Katie explained that it was a Pearl Jam song that meant a lot to her. Jarrad had heard plenty of Pearl Jam songs, but never that one. He told Katie he respected her bold decision to tattoo a Pearl Jam deep track on her arm.&nbsp;



The conversation lasted another hour. Jarrad and Katie do not even remember exactly what they talked about. They just remember that they didn’t want to stop. But after returning to their friend groups, they were both prepared to go home for the night. Then, it hit Jarrad: he had never asked for Katie’s number.



Forget it, he thought. It’s not a big deal. No! It is a big deal! Go get it! He walked back across the dance floor, found Katie and asked for her number. She grabbed his phone and entered it herself. Katie listed herself as “Katie Havana.” “I’m not a booty call,” she said.



Jarrad texted her the next day, waited three hours for a response and finally, the conversation from the dance floor resumed. It is still going to this day, and neither of them want it to end.&nbsp;

How We Met

Jarrad is from Pennsylvania and Katie is from New Jersey. During the first year of their relationship, they were constantly driving over the bridge, above the Delaware River, to see each other.&nbsp;

They also met at Havana and are very close with their families. Saffren Sundays for Eagles games and Wyckoff Wednesdays for political discussions were weekly events during that first year.&nbsp;



Jarrad wanted to bring together all three of those themes, the PA-Jersey line, the bar where they met and their close relationships with their families, in his marriage proposal to Katie.&nbsp;



So on October 20, 2018, Jarrad asked Katie out on a Date Night to Triumph, another bar in New Hope that they frequent. Katie said yes&hellip;to the date.&nbsp;



Following an afternoon of shady phone calls with his photographer/co-worker, Jarrad drove Katie to Lambertville, NJ, the city across the river from New Hope. They walked across the bridge and got to the PA-NJ state line in the middle.&nbsp;



Jarrad stopped Katie, got down on one knee and proposed. The rest is a blur. Katie probably did not even actually say the word “yes.” (But in principle, she 100% said yes. They are indeed engaged.)&nbsp;



After a quick photoshoot, which Jarrad had set up with those shady phone calls, they walked to Havana, enjoyed some drinks and talked about how happy they were.&nbsp;



Jarrad told Katie they had an 8:15 dinner reservation at Karla’s, a restaurant down the street. Katie thought it was just going to be the two of them, so she wanted to call her parents. Jarrad told her she couldn’t call her parents yet. They just had to enjoy this as a couple for a little longer. It was a good save.&nbsp;



They walked into Karla’s and turned left. Their parents, grandmothers and Jarrad’s siblings were&nbsp; waiting. Jarrad shouted, “Hey!” as they all rose from their seats and cheered. Many hugs, toasts and pictures ensued. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Proposal

Our Story

Details

Photos

Evan Saffren

Kelsey Bruno

Julian Goss

Jessie Sperlazzo

Jeff Berest

Haley Saffren

Ross Friedman

Sami Wyckoff

John Burker

Rosie Siuta

Brandon Spencer

Steven Zilberberg

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

A room block has been reserved at Normandy Farm Hotel. Please use the code on the back of your save the date.&nbsp;*Room Block closes November 18th*<a href="https://reservations.travelclick.com/6182?hotelId=6182#/guestsandrooms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://reservations.travelcli...</a>

Travel

Things to Do

Bridal Party

Kelsey Bruno (Brunz)

Kelsey and Katie became friends in 7th grade after disliking each other the year before (Kelsey stole Katie’s boyfriend). Needless to say, they got over it and things worked out. They have grown together through all the questionable phases that adolescence brings. Fond memories include Guitar Hero for hours on end and driving to the Eastern Shore in Virginia and stopping at every Sonic Drive In along the way. They can do anything together and enjoy it, whether it’s a night out at a bar or a Saturday morning trip to Costco. Kelsey is one of the most kind-hearted and loyal friends Katie has ever had, and the bride is beyond lucky to have Kelsey hold such a crucial role in the couple’s big day! As Maid of Honor, not only will Kelsey hold the train of the bride’s gown- Kelsey will continue to be the rock and anchor for Katie on the most important day of her life, like she always has. Side note - ask Kelsey about her love of turkey vultures ;)

Jessie Sperlazzo (Big)

Katie and Jessie met in college because they paid to be friends. Then Katie didn’t want to pay the dues to be friends anymore, so they didn’t talk for awhile. Jessie got married in 2017 and decided they should be friends again. Now they’re cool. Jessie is the best thing Katie’s ever paid for.&nbsp;

Haley Saffren (Sissy)

Haley is Jarrad's little sister by blood, but is a&nbsp;little sissy to Katie. Haley has an incredibly creative and loving spirit and is an amazing addition to the bridal party. Katie can't wait for her sissy to be a part of the wedding!

Sami Wyckoff (Baby Cousin/Sissy)

Sami is Katie’s younger cousin, but if you ask either of them, they’ll tell you they’re more like sisters. Countless family holidays, vacations and gut-busting laughter later, they are still just as close as they were when Sami came home from the hospital and Katie insisted she was her living babydoll. They share a love for interior design, all things thrifty and are always down for trips to Ska concerts or the Punk Rock Flea Market. Sami will assist in the wedding by using her eye for artistic design with DIY decorations and bringing the funk on the the dance floor.

Rosie Siuta (Dancefloor partner)

Rosie and Katie met&hellip; sometime, somehow, in some..place. They can’t pinpoint an exact moment in time, but their friendship really began to develop in history class their junior year of high school. They can talk for hours, whether about serious topics, spilling the tea, or the ridiculous sense humor that they share. The summer they turned 21, the two spent a lot of time dancing at Havana (the same bar that the bride and groom met). Rosie is never shy from being blunt, and her refreshing honesty is one of the traits Katie loves the most about her. They have grown up and remained close friends even though they are 1,500 miles apart. Rosie has always been a shoulder to cry on and is a beautiful human, inside and out. As bridesmaid, Rosie will continue to be the bride’s most forthright friend throughout the planning process and will be the first on the dancefloor busting sick moves.

Steve Zilberberg (my DUDE)

Steve and Katie met in college at a random party. They became incredibly close and have been best friends ever since! From trying interesting and delicious foods together to spur of the moment trips, they have always made each other laugh. Jarrad and Steve met early in the couple’s relationship and can testify how much they have both grown up in the past 4+ years. Steve is always an amazing friend and willing to listen to Katie’s kvetching (and vice versa). As the lone BRIDESMAN, Steve will assist in the wedding by lending an ear for MORE kvetching and providing the laughter that brought him and Katie close years ago! HOOPLAH!

Groomsmen

Jarrad and Evan are brothers in a functioning family, so they have to like each other. But they both like sports and repeating the same joke over and over again, so they do like each other. They love each other, actually. Repeating the same joke over and over is really, really fun.

Jarrad and Julian grew up in neighboring Jewish communities and really didn’t like each other all that much. But then, in high school, they worked out at the same gym and discovered a shared affinity for discussing completely trivial subjects, like March Madness seeds. That conversation is still going on more than 10 years later, and neither of them want it to end.

Jarrad and Jeff met on their first bus ride to overnight camp. They sat together and didn’t talk at all. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Jarrad and Ross became best friends in third grade and then attended middle school, high school and college together. Somehow, even though they are both incredibly opinionated, they aren’t at all sick of each other. So Ross is in the wedding.

Jarrad and John are both kind of strange, though they both prefer the term “independent.” This shared characteristic, though they both prefer the term “quality,” is probably the reason they became friends in high school and have remained friends ever since. Now John even takes vacations with Jarrad, Katie and Katie’s parents.

Jarrad and Brandon met when Jarrad took Brandon’s seat in seventh grade home room. Brandon was new to the school and the area, and this was a truly great way to welcome him. Jarrad never gave Brandon his seat back. But then they became best friends anyway.

Katie & Jarrad

Katie & Jarrad

Registry