Serendipity

(noun)

the occurrence and development of pleasant, unexpected events

Nick and Mackenzie met in February 2019 at Dave Smart’s Barber Shop in Athens, Ohio. Nick was getting his haircut when Mackenzie entered in search of a shadowing opportunity to support a class project. Through conversation, Nick and Mackenzie discovered they had a mutual friend (Kenzy Ciminillo, Mackenzie’s roommate) from Dublin, OH - small world!

Mackenzie continued shadowing the barber shop for 4 additional weeks after that day. It was on the last day of shadowing Dave’s shop that Nick walked back in to get his haircut before his Nursing White Coat Ceremony. Mackenzie and Nick recognized one another instantly, remembering their unique meeting weeks before. After the two parted ways outside the shop, Mackenzie went home to tell her roommate, Kenzy, that she’d met Nick on these occasions. Sensing that Mackenzie and Nick had hit it off, she decided to coordinate a hangout for the two. Kenzy called another mutual friend, Mike Coyle, to see if he & Nick could hang with her & Mackenzie for St. Patty’s Day in Short North Columbus. The guys agreed and met up with both Mackenzie’s a few days later.

Nick and Mackenzie had a blast hanging out together that St. Patty’s Day. They began the morning by making brunch and drinking mimosas, before eventually heading out to the bars. After a fun filled day of bar hopping and getting to know one another, the two exchanged phone numbers and the rest is history!

Fast forward ~4 years, Nick and Mackenzie were visiting Athens together on a lowkey (to Mackenzie’s knowledge) Alumni trip full of their favorite activities: pontoon boat rental at Strouds Run, dinner on the town & a mini Court Street bar crawl. After dinner at Zoe & on their way to Jackie O’s to start the crawl, they chose to walk past their original meeting place - Dave Smart’s Barber Shop. Although Dave had left for the evening, just seeing the shop gave them a chance to reminisce about how fate played such a big role in how their story began. To Mackenzie’s surprise, Nick got down on one knee and popped the question right outside the shop! Of course, she said YES! Nick had coordinated a photographer to capture those raw moments and also had both of their families waiting at Jackie O’s to celebrate them (also a surprise to Mackenzie).

How lucky are we; The ultimate example of serendipity! ❤️