Natalie’s Version:

Anthony and I met for the first time in January 2018 through the dating app "Bumble." Anthony was always the persistent one, and extended our chat another 24hrs so I was able to make the first move. That made it clear to me that he was interested! I took a chance and later that day, we started chatting. It was super quick before he asked me on a date. The following week, Anthony and I went on our first breakfast date to a small diner in Manalapan. Though our date went well, we decided to part ways as friends.

From time to time, Anthony would routinely check-in on me, ask how I was doing and then ask me to go out to dinner. I usually declined, which eventually led me to go ghost mode on him. At the end of 2019, Anthony reached back out to catch up and again asked me out on a date. I wanted to say yes this time, but declined as I was leaving for my abroad trip to Los Angeles a week later.

Flash forward to 2020, known to most as the year where the world shut down and everything came to halt; for us, it was the start of something new. Throughout January-March, Anthony and I had a continuous flirtation through Instagram and occasionally through text. The moment I knew I wanted Anthony in my life was in March of 2020. At this time, I was having a hard time being away in Los Angeles and was nervous that the world was about to shut down due to the pandemic. I went to Disneyland with a bunch of friends, and I separated myself from the group to just be alone. There was some Disney magic in the air, because I looked down at my phone and Anthony had texted me. He had no idea that I was having a hard time in LA, but he did say "I hope you have a good time in Disney, say hi to Mickey for me!!" It was a generic text, but it put a huge smile on my face. Two days later, I flew back home to New Jersey and finally decided to pursue things with Anthony. Throughout our quarantine days, Anthony and I consistently texted and facetimed – our first official date was in June when we went on 5 mile walk at the Manasquan Reservoir. The rest is history!

Anthony’s Version:

It all started fresh off New Years 2018 when I was with my cousins at the Halifax in Hoboken, NJ. I was swiping through my Bumble app, when I received a notification that I matched with a 19-year-old, red-haired Natalie Yesner. We went on a date at Gus’ Diner in Manalapan, where I wore a blue hat (which I never do), because for some reason, I didn’t want to gel my hair that day. Some aspects of the conversation I don’t vividly remember (Natalie has a better memory than I do), but I do remember her bright red hair and her cheetah shirt. After the date ended, I reached out to Natalie to see if she would want to meet up again, but she ghosted me….for two years.

...So, flash forward to the beginning of 2020 at family dinner when I received a DM response from a 20-year old, dark-haired Natalie Yesner. The previous message, I told her she looked like Kylie Jenner with her new haircut. I took another and asked her out, but she declined. We occasionally talked when she was living in LA, and the week COVID shut down the world, I learned she was in Disneyland in California when the world decided to shut down. She took a Snapchat of her next to the castle and I texted her something to the affect of “I hope you have a good time!” As I’m sure Natalie has written in her version, this was a big moment for us. When she got back to Jersey, we met up again on a date, but this time had to follow social distancing rules. Yes, she made me walk 6 feet apart. It was at the Manasquan Reservoir and we walked about 5 miles through the park, talking about random things. After the date ended, I gave her a kiss (COVID rules be damned!) and she said “You’re crazy, I hope you don’t give me COVID!” This time, she didn’t ghost me.

N&A

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception