It was February 2018. We met at Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River - yup, that's where we're getting married!

We were both adult leaders at Presentation's annual Antioch Weekend retreat for high school students.

We officially met in the back of the Church during lunch. Eddie was housing a pulled pork sandwich when he offered Sarah a handshake. Eddie asked for her number the next day.

Yes and no. It was more of a set up, but a drawn out one.

One of Sarah's best friends, Liz, had been telling her about this great guy she knew in Connecticut (where Sarah worked) that could show her around. Liz and her family continued to encourage the meeting for over a year before we finally met at Presentation.

The meeting at Church, though, wasn't planned - or at least we don't think it was. Sarah had gotten involved in Antioch Weekend to try something new and step outside her comfort zone. Eddie's job required weekends, so he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it until that same day.

You could say it was fate.

Sarah did on their first trip to Martha's Vineyard with Eddie's family. Eddie reciprocated a few months later.

Fast forward 5 years. It was the last weekend in September of 2023. A few weeks prior, Eddie had told Sarah that he had a surprise weekend planned for them, but wouldn't tell her where they were going. Leading up to the weekend, Eddie gave Sarah vague answers about what to pack, what we might be doing and whether Stella, their puppy, would be able to come with.

The surprise weekend wound up being in Martha's Vineyard, a place we vacationed several times with Eddie's family. But this time it was just us.

That Saturday was rainy, gross. Eddie had planned for them to go to Menemsha Beach to watch the sunset, followed by a nice dinner in Edgartown. They get to the beach and it's raining sideways. Despite Eddie's pleading, Sarah refuses to get out of the car. There wasn't even a sunset to watch!

Sunday was slightly better, weather-wise. Eddie suggested they head back to Menemsha (again) to watch the sunset. He packed a small picnic - wine, cheese, a TON of blankets and two beach chairs. They were the only two people crazy enough to actually sit on the beach - everyone else was in their cars.

Eddie started filming the sunset from their beach chairs, and then suggested that they stand up and take a selfie. After perfectly placing us in view of the phone he was filming on, Eddie took a ring out of his jacket, knelt down and asked Sarah if she'd be Mrs. Kennedy. Sarah, of course, said yes through tears.